Seattle – Canada’s indie dream-pop outfit Alvvays graced Capitol Hill’s Barboza the other night, filling the basement with breezy melodies, fuzzy guitar, swirling keyboards, and cheeky lyrics. Having earned placement on many year-end lists with their debut eponymous album (on Polyvinyl Records)—Best New Bands called it “a contagious work of art”—Alvvays captures an impressive, balanced
Best New Bands and Epic Records are offering the chance for you and a friend to see any U.S. date on Kongos’ 2015 tour* and receive a meet-and-greet with the band! Following up highly successful stints on the road in the U.S. with Kings of Leon, Young The Giant and Alice In Chains and in
Nashville – It’s been nearly a year since the last time I saw the Justin Kalk Orchestra live, but I remember the show vividly. A string section accompanied Kalk’s lead guitar and vocals, and the result was a positively stunning combination of classical notes and raw blues elements. Fast forward: this past Wednesday, Kalk performed
New York – Milky Chance is an explosive electro-folk duo out of Germany that welds genres together to produce a sound that’s uniquely theirs, and the work is absurdly and arrestingly good. In fact, this band’s rise to international visibility is equally as halting a thought, considering the group began two short years ago. Since
Los Angeles – The Troubadour got hot and heavy this week with scintillating sets by the indie-pop-based In The Valley Below (shown above) and neo-soul act Caught A Ghost. While the two Los Angeles-based bands have very little in common stylistically speaking, neither had any issues getting the large crowd whipped up into a dancing fervor.
Austin – I managed to grab some minutes with Wildcat! Wildcat! at Fun Fun Fun Fest earlier this month. The LA band had impressed me prior to the festival and at their set earlier in the day, and as much as anything I was interested to hear about breaking out of LA, which my friend
Nashville – Stone Cold Fox found a place to shine in Nashville, debuting to local audiences at The Basement. The Brooklyn-based indie band wowed with their stunning (yet brief) set, bringing with them ethereal synth chords complimented by solid percussion. What resulted was a densely packed show that brimmed with youthful energy. Once Stone Cold
New York – Joseph de los Reyes (vocals/drums) and Koosh Saxena (guitar/keyboard/vocals) make up San Francisco’s Little Envy. The duo released their debut self-titled album this week on South X Sea Records, which they recorded with Sam Pura at Panda Studios. Little Envy is an upbeat and intricate first attempt. The songs are bright, but
London – Announced as the last leg of a short UK tour and the final one of the year, it was not surprising that the return of Gabby Young & Other Animals to a London stage took on something of a homecoming party. The English songstress appeared radiant, looking every inch the fairy on the
Chicago – The Baltimore boys of SUN CLUB have begun to turn heads with their cheerful indie rock, energetic live shows, and goofy personalities. Songs like “Beauty Meat” and “Summer Feet,” off the debut EP Dad Claps at the Mom Prom (Goodnight Records), leave you smiling and dancing along with the young, magnetic East Coasters,