The quiet and the loud
On January 26th, Migos released Culture 2 (2018), a rumbling banger that debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s top 200 chart internationally. It’s the trio’s second album to top the national list, the first bei...
Mogwai crafts a patient, explosive build at The Regency Ballroom
The crowd was relatively calm. Some bobbed their heads lightly to the dark synths of opener Xander Harris, and others gave contained although more full-bodied attempts at grooving to the electronic pulse. But t...
Sigur Rós illuminates the Greek Theatre
Dimly backlit by currents of glowing fog, the three silhouetted members of Icelandic post-rock group Sigur Rós took their time to fade onto the stage, welcoming the packed Greek Theater softly and patiently. A...
Slow Hollows and the 411 on “4141”
In high school perhaps you knew a friend or acquaintance in a band and made the pilgrimage to the local all ages venue, got your hands X'ed and swayed alongside your classmates. Maybe you even had your own band...
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...
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...
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...
Teen Daze’s new EP both cause and treatment for photokeratitis
For over a half decade, I've been nursing an enormous crush a writer's admiration for Ian Cohen over at Pitchfork. (Like seriously, where does this guy live so we can discuss how much our best-of lists over...
Deerhoof get weird at GAMH, San Franciscans don’t bat an eyelash
Post-rock/punk outfit and local weirdos Deerhoof just celebrated their 20th anniversary and 12th album release with La Isla Bonita on November 4th. Their noisy whimsicality filled a sold out Great Americ...
Gardens & Villa to bring lush fuzz and glitter to SF this weekend
Even the most investigative sound junkie will know that worthwhile music arrives from all avenues. We first stumbled across Gardens & Villa's debut single, "Black Hills" three years ago via now-defunct ...
Bay Area native Tycho casts a pastel aurora, transcends at hometown show
Transcendence is a bold concept and curious state, but Tycho’s showing this past Thursday at the Fox Theater in Oakland took us there, if not pretty close. The resonance of the venue, allowed the lower freq...
Mogwai returns to San Francisco, packs the Regency
“We have one more song,” Mogwai's bassist Dominic Aitchison lied before his band played four more tracks -- three of which were in an encore. “But first, I have a question. Are a lot of you wasted?”
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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...