Philip Woodbury has been writing music since his mid-teens, recording songs in his bedroom on a cheap digital 8-track and compiling them onto CDs for his family and friends. But as he aged, his recording proficiency grew—as did his means to purchase quality equipment—and in 2009 the Austin, Texas native released his first official album,
Unknown Mortal Orchestra stole the hearts of the blogosphere with its 2011 self-titled freshman album. Critics ogled over the trio’s ability to create sparse, lo-fi psych-pop gems, and for the past two years the band has been riding on the coattails of its successful debut; touring the world and playing the festival circuit.
There are some bands that you just have to see live to fully appreciate, and on Saturday night I found out that Cuckoo Chaos is one of those bands. The San Diego-based quintet has been on tour with Los Angeles up-and-comers Incan Abraham, and this weekend marked Incan Abe’s homecoming and the last show on
Jonathan Rado and Sam France are not your typical 22-year-olds. Though the two make up the new band, Foxygen, they are old souls that would much rather listen to an old Rolling Stones record than the latest Animal Collective album. This fascination and love for the music of yesteryear translates onto the duo’s latest LP,
Southern California has birthed a number of psychedelic surf-tinged outfits over the years, and the latest group to fit this mold is Blackfeet Braves. Sharing a love of sixties pysch-pop and garage rock, the SoCal quartet uses lo-fi recording techniques, reverbed guitars and vocals to create spiraling, hazy tracks that are both mind-melting and hopelessly
It’s been three years since Local Natives released their acclaimed debut album, Gorilla Manor, and in that time, the indie rock quartet honed in on their sound. As a result, the Los Angeles-based outfit’s sophomore effort, Hummingbird, comprises a collection of matured, complex tracks. Upon first listen, Hummingbird may be a little underwhelming for fans
Though it may be the dead of winter, it is always summer in Pacific Air’s book. Hailing from Southern California, the brotherly dream-pop duo of Ryan and Taylor Lawhon manage to bottle up all of the sun, luxury and lust for life of their home and export it into sparkling, chiming, weightless songs. The video
Though Oceanography’s roots seem to be planted in gothic Americana, there is one thing founder Brian Kelly wants to make clear: this is not a folk outfit. He’s not just some guy singing and playing guitar. And after hearing tracks off the band’s newest EP, Parachutes of Plenty, this sentiment is made abundantly clear. Though
We don’t usually feature videos on BestNewBands.com unless they are brand-spankin’-new, but we decided to make an exception for thatwasthen’s “Angel Gabrielle.” Though the video was released only earlier this month, it has already garnered an impressive 39,000+ views (and counting) on YouTube. And rightfully so. The band self-produced and self-directed the video near Malibu,
The Los Angeles-based sister trio, Haim, may have been one of the most buzzed about new bands of 2012, and this year they’re making a point to show everyone what the buzz is about. In the past year, the folk and R&B influenced band has released a well-received EP, toured with the likes of Florence