I saw White Arrows perform live for the first time as the opening act for UMO at the Echoplex about a month ago and instantly fell in love with this new band. Led by visionary Mickey Church, the L.A.-based quintet wooed me with their creative songwriting and energetic performance. After a successful jaunt at SXSW,
When I see Dawes on a list of new bands to check out, I chuckle and have to remind myself that they haven’t been a band for all that long, even if they seem like they’ve been part of my life for years. I remember listening to their debut album, North Hills, on vinyl with
2011 was the year Anthony Gonzalez of M83 found himself. Or, better yet, the world finally found M83. The French musician’s ambitious double album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming wasn’t a game-changer. It didn’t redefine sonic boundaries or place indie-synth pop in some new levels of artistic proportion – it was just a really fucking good
Justin Vernon has had a hell of a year. He produced his girlfriend’s album (Kathleen Edwards), started his own label and announced the first release, won a couple Grammy’s and his former bandmate Chris Porterfield has just come out with a couple of tracks from his upcoming debut album which sounds like it’s going to
In case you didn’t read my review of Brian Lopez’s recently released album, Ultra, go now, oh foolish one, and read it. There. Well done. Thus, in case you didn’t notice, Brian Lopez is, indeed, awesome. And now, as you arrive at the top of this interview, you, in the privacy of your own mind,
Having caught up on my sleep from the whirlwind that was SXSW 2012, I’ve had the chance to look back on the memorable performances of new bands from the festival. One that especially stands out was Meiko’s show at The Hotel Cafe Showcase at St. David’s Sanctuary. This was my first formal introduction to Meiko’s
Caveman is having a great year so far. They spent much of last year building up a big buzz in their home base of Brooklyn and beyond, and this year shows them continuing to live up to that buzz. They recently received a wide release of their debut album, CoCo Beware, via Fat Possum Records,
Have we mentioned Gauntlet Hair too much on BestNewBands.com? Our Katrina Nattress listed their self-titled debut album as a top 5 album of last year, and said she was “confident that the duo will receive the recognition it deserves in 2012,” after having many good things to say about the record in her review as
To correspond with the release of their debut full-length, Mixed Emotions, Tanlines premiered a video for the album’s second single, “All of Me,” the week of the release. This video featured a fuzzy VHS taping of the duo sternly performing the track to an audience of catatonic middle aged men and women who slowly (and
From the opening riff of “Sweet Sour” all the way till the very end of their set, Band of Skulls was a constant rock n’ roll rumbling throughout Music Hall of Williamsburg. This Southampton, UK–based band is a prime example of a straightforward, solid rock band on the current scene. There’s nothing incredibly experimental or