London – Beings is an accomplished third studio album from Newcastle-based outfit, Lanterns On The Lake, offering up a rich amalgam of post-rock and indie-folk with traditional nuances, fused with a splash of electronica and shoegaze. That may be quite enough labels as the essence is that the band charts a singular course of its
Portland – Lord Huron has fans. Thursday night’s sold-out show at the Crystal Ballroom only proved that fact. The venue was packed to the brim as they waited in anticipation, and as the band stepped on stage, the crowd clapped and screamed in unison. The show began with the band’s lead singer, Ben Schneider, turning
Portland – Dublin’s five-piece indie folk outfit Villagers, headed by mastermind Conor O’Brien, have succeeded in producing an album full of beauty and sincerity, a serene interlude to the madness of the outside world. Villagers’ exquisite Darling Arithmetic is the band’s third album of beautifully crafted new-wave indie folk. Its predecessors, 2010’s Becoming A Jackal
Austin and London – Indie folk has always been a slippery label for me. I understand the desire to connect with an older musical tradition; it’s the execution that’s been throwing me off. Good songwriting, passionate performance, crooning backup vocals, banjo shredding, etc., seems to sacrifice the hardship it wants to reproduce. Which is fine,
Los Angeles - Ben Howard‘s quick success is well deserved. The British singer-songwriter’s performance at the El Rey Theatre on Monday showed off minimalism at its finest. His show is a model for how indie-folk should be presented — intimate, grabbing, and powerful enough to bring tears to the eyes. Though his latest album, I Forget Where
Seattle – The name Cumulus is just asking for cloud puns, but I’m going to resist because the band is far worthier than even the best pun could deliver. The Seattle trio was born out of singer/songwriter Alexandra Niedzialkowski’s (nee-jul-KOFF-ski) solo project. Lance Umble (guitar) and Leah Julius (bass) joined Niedzialkowski and with that, Cumulus
Seattle’s Hey Marseille released sophomore album Lines We Trace (released by Onto Entertainment – Thirty Tigers) on March 5 and all I can say is Hey Marseilles — pull at my heartstrings a little more, won’t you? Okay, that’s not all I can say but it’s probably the most succinct thing I can say
Sometimes all someone needs is a vacation to refocus and get the creative energy flowing. That’s certainly the case for Taken By Trees, which is the project of Swedish-born, L.A.-based singer Victoria Bergsman. The former lead singer of Swedish indie pop outfit the Concretes, Bergsman left the band in 2006 to focus on Taken By
In music, 11 years is an eternity. Fads come and go and what was yesterday’s hit is today’s washed up band. Beachwood Sparks bucks that trend, proving that as long as there’s good music to be made, people will listen regardless of how long of a gap there is between records. After releasing two albums
The Lumineers Tour Begins Tonight in San Diego Multiple Dates Already Sold Out Stream Self-Titled Debut Album Now To Be Released April 3 on Dualtone Following a stellar showing at SXSW, Denver-based trio The Lumineers begin their tour tonight in San Diego, CA. The band’s upcoming self-titled debut album will see release on April 3