Los Angeles – This past summer, Philadelphia-based band Vacationer released their sophomore album, Relief. Their unique sound has been described as “Nu-Hula/ World Wave.” Relief is an appealing, earnest, and utterly joyous record. The laidback electronics booted with the dreamy guitars bestows a pleasant summer feeling we wouldn’t mind experiencing all season. It sheds light
San Francisco – This year’s Treasure Island Music Festival boasted one of the most interesting lineups of the year, promising sets from a lot of seasoned veterans across a multitude of genres, including OutKast, Massive Attack, TV on the Radio, and The New Pornographers, just to name a few. The festival’s two stages—named the Bridge
Chicago – Back in 2010 when drummer John Bradley and guitarist Scott Scharinger formed Dads, the New Jersey duo thought it nothing more than a side project, but the band blossomed into much more with help from the recent emo resurgence. Four years later and now Dads has a new album, a more mature sound,
Los Angeles – Ben Howard fans, gather around: For those who feared the singer-songwriter couldn’t live up to his runaway 2011 debut, Every Kingdom, fear not. In fact, I Forget Where We Were, out this week on Republic in the U.S. and Island Records elsewhere, smashes through expectations. While Howard’s second album has all the wholehearted
Los Angeles – Once in a while someone is fortunate to experience a sound that truly resonates in more ways than one. Islands, the debut record out this week on Communion Records from the London-based trio Bear’s Den, is one of those records that fits that mold. Bear’s Den is a byproduct of the London
Chicago – Last week Foxygen took the Windy City by storm. The LA psychedelic rockers sold out two shows at Lincoln Hall, and their performance on Chicago’s WGN Morning News was the talk of the town. Even English rockers Temples swung by Lincoln Park to watch frontman Sam France put “the LA in Chicago.” With
Brooklyn – Wednesday night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg boasted a sold-out bill and a whole heap of alt-folk rock lovers, some still drenched from the night’s rainy temperaments. On deck to ease the mid-week blues was Sydney’s own Boy & Bear, supported by Nettwerk Music Group label mates Run River North. The night
Chicago – If you haven’t heard of Toronto punk band PUP, it’s time you have. The four-piece has been receiving praise from critics for their wild live shows and their recently released self-titled debut album on SideOneDummy Records. The chemistry between these childhood friends is amazing, and their genuine love for what they do shines
Brooklyn — Iowa native Max Jury is a 21-year-old wunderkind with a sound that’s as beautifully sparse as the flatlands themselves but deeply affective, too, as his ties to the heartland might suggest. With little recorded material released to date, Jury just exited the starting gates with a sophomore EP that’s equipped with enough velocity
Austin—Another weekend of ACL brings another weekend of Late Night sets. This time I wound up on 6th Street west of I-35 to see Poliça, the Minneapolis electronic group that has been releasing music for two years, starting with 2012’s Give You the Ghost and following that up with last year’s Shulamith. Their music is