“Darling, I love you” – it’s an honest, time-honored declaration, and as the clarion chorus of “Stars Far Above,” the first single from the new L.A. sextet Duniven, it feels like a mission statement. In his new persona as Duniven, frontman Patrick Thomas moves away from the Britpop-influenced churn of his previous band, the Capshuns, […]
The Capshuns, “Time to Say” (self-released) – The L.A. quartet’s agile rock sounds as if it rode in on the slipstream of the British Invasion, the soundtrack to top-down, scarves-flying car chases involving ne’r-do-wells driving vintage Aston Martins. Blaring guitars and chugging rhythms carry the day, and although singer Patrick Thomas – at his best […]
Texas quintet Midlake [pictured] hits town behind its new album, the very genteel and almost meticulous-to-a-fault “The Courage of Others.” Matthew and the Arrogant Sea open the show at the El Rey. … Shrinebuilder, which includes members of the Melvins, Neurosis and Om, make a ruckus at the Echo in the first of a two-night […]
The 88 have begun work on the follow-up to its third album “Not Only … But Also,” which helped get them picked up by Island Records last year. There are few finer purveyors of power-pop around, and the L.A. quartet this month is doing something of a return to its roots – a Tuesday night […]
Dawes, the L.A. quartet whose previously self-released debut “North Hills” gets a shot of adrenaline when ATO Records re-releases it on Sept. 29, starts its L.A. residency (the foursome is also doing Mondays at the Detroit Bar) at the Echo. Supporting are Slang Chickens and a band called Big Echo – whom Web In Front […]
[Happy birthday to Cyndi Lauper – here’s how to start your week …] Incubus has announced a surprise show tonight at the Echoplex – a $20 ticket, no lineups before 7 p.m – celebrating the the release of “Monuments and Melodies” retrospective; physical copies of the album come with a download code for 500-plus rare […]
[Happy birthday to Fabrizio Moretti of the Strokes, all of 29 years old today. His side project, Little Joy, will be in town later this week – Thursday at the Detroit Bar and Friday at the Troubadour. Now, on to tonight …] How difficult is it to support good local bands in L.A.? Damned hard […]
[Another installment in Buzz Bands’ new local music series …] Silver Lake quartet the Capshuns have been busy making new recordings in the Eagle Rock studio of producer Kiyoshi Graves, and a sneak preview reveals the same infectious, ’60s-influenced power pop that earned them a tour last year with Swedish lads Mando Diao. Well, that […]
[Birthday cheers today for Emmylou Harris, who, via her website, points well-wishers to her favorite charity, the Keeta Fund …] It’s a massive evening for shows, starting with biggies like Lily Allen at the Wiltern and Will Oldham, as Bonnie “Prince” Billy, at the El Rey Theatre. … It’s almost criminal that Billy is playing […]
[So flipping radio stations on the way home last night I heard Van Halen’s “Jump” for the trillionth time and thought, ‘How old is that song, anyway?’ Turns out that 25 years ago this week, it was No. 1.] I wanted to find out which of the estimable performers at tonight’s “A Tribute to Scott […]
