Wordless stories with Khruangbin
Walking in to the Fillmore on Tuesday night, I did not know what to expect from Khruangbin’s live performance. The Texas based, groovy instrumental trio packs a lot of punch on their albums. I had doubts thei...
RATATAT return triumphant, Magnifique after five years
The fifth studio full-length from Brooklyn duo RATATAT, Magnifique is an album on steroids from a band on steroids. Strengthened by the making of more experimental records LP3 and LP4, Mike Stroud and Evan ...
Japan’s toe kick off From West to East to Far East
Calculated drumming sprees and emotional faces only begin to describe toe at The Independent Friday July 3. In a line that spanned two blocks for entry to the venue, many braved the light San Francisco dr...
Sannhet sweep Chapel crowd with heavy, measured post-rock
Truth is, the three-piece experimental band at the loosely-populated Chapel Tuesday night looked and sounded like they were from Brooklyn. They tore through their repertoire neatly and efficiently within an...
Martin Gore takes mechanic route with new instrumental record
I haven’t yet seen that film Ex Machina, but I imagine it could be quite compatible with Martin Gore’s latest endeavour.
In March, the English musician, globally renowned for writing much of New Wav...
This Will Destroy You mesmerize with atmospheric arrangements at largest headlining show yet
On Saturday, March 21, instrumental post-rock group This Will Destroy You performed at a sold-out Great American Music Hall, filling the venue with their loud, ambient sounds.
The evening opened with s...
Eskmo’s sophomore release approaches the top of the exosphere and we feel fine
Los Angeles' Brendan Angelides, the critical mass behind Eskmo (and Welder), seems to have reached escape velocity. Or rather, I suspect he has the formula to do so. But instead, the producer remains with u...
San Francisco’s The Union Trade take leisurely sea journey on sophomore LP
Following a three-year hiatus since their last release, The Union Trade's upcoming sophomore full-length LP sounds exactly as named. On A Place of Long Years, the local band ditches bassist Nate Munger's em...
Catching Up With 65daysofstatic at Bottom of The Hill
English instrumental rockers 65daysofstatic are a bit shy, but their sound certainly isn’t. Last Thursday at San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill, the quartet played a sold out show with Massachusetts-bas...