Adele’s “25” is the third full-length album from the singer/songwriter in four years following the understated international success of “21.” One cold, rainy Sunday afternoon,… Read More »“Let Me Photograph You In This Light” – Adele’s 25
Beats Music focuses squarely on playlists, employing a sharp user interface and restricted color scheme that allows a vast amount of content to shine through.… Read More »App Review: Beats Music
This post is syndicated from Yahoo! Music. It’s that time of year again when we get to count down the best musical content of the… Read More »Top 10 Music Videos of 2012
A crisp fall evening brought us to Anaheim to see The Black Keys, show number three in So Cal during their massive worldwide stadium tour.… Read More »Show Review: The Black Keys in Anaheim
A mellow Friday night in Los Angeles, CA assembled a veritable mix to see two very different bands at the El Rey as part of… Read More »Show Review: Maximo Park in LA
This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle. Sounds like: Kele, Friendly Fires, Two Door Cinema Club, LCD Soundsystem, Gang of Four What’s so good? By Nicole Cifani |… Read More »Bloc Party – Four
This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle. Sounds like: Flying Lotus, Teebs, Nosaj Thing, Tokimonsta, Suzi Analogue What’s so good? By Nicole Cifani | August 11th, 2012 The… Read More »Review: Analogue Monsta
This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle Sounds like: Ratatat, Nosaj Thing, Caribou What’s so good?By Nicole Cifani | August 2nd, 2012What happens when classically-trained musicians go head-to-head with… Read More »Record Review: Virtual Boy
Sounds like: Memoryhouse, Sparklehorse, Brian Eno, Slowdive, Foxes in Fiction What’s so good? MPSO, or Mount Pleasant Sympathy Orchestra, is the side project of Toronto-based Daniel… Read More »MPSO – Can I Convince You
This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle. Sounds like: Ulrich Schnauss, Caribou What’s so good? As I exited Hollywood’s Music Box last Tuesday night after being blown away… Read More »Tycho – Live in Los Angeles
This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle. Sounds like: Beirut, Fredrik, Perfume Genius What’s so good? Suicide Prevention Hotline is a deeply moving EP from a young… Read More »Alaska In Winter – Suicide Prevention Hotline
1. SBTRKT – SBTRKT 2. Thundercat – The Golden Age of Apocalypse 3. Other Lives – Tamer Animals 4. Real Estate – Real Estate 5. The Head And The Heart – The Head and The Heart 6. James Blake – James Blake 7. DJ… Read More »Top 30 Albums of 2011
This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle.
What’s so good?
Poignant yet fierce, striking and soft, the UK-born and Berlin-based Emika is a much needed beacon in electronic music, a space seemingly laden with emo-ridden dudes sporting thoughtful beards with a five o’clock silhouette for any given niche.
Emika shakes things up by bringing some serious skin to the game. She’s a force to be reckoned with — the anti-Ellie Goulding — leaving behind anything sugar-coated and sweet that offers a gently affected tonality for remixers to deepen. Emika singularly achieves depth by speaking through her superb technical and artistic prowess. Her style is unique with a tonality that’s consistent. And this is just her first album.
When we first heard the debut album from Bristol-based singer/songwriter Andreya Triana we were immediately hooked. So naturally, we jumped at the chance to sit down and… Read More »Video Interview: Andreya Triana (Original Video)
This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle.
What’s so good?
I saw avant-pop duo The Fiery Furnaces perform an acoustic set a few months back at the Largo in L.A. and was immediately captivated. The first thing I thought about was the remarkable result of the brother and sisters’ stripped-down set paired to their signature poetic lyrics.
“The cool affectation of Matt and Eleanor is gripping – they’re clearly favoring their art over any commercial notion of entertaining that coerces objectification.”
The second thing I thought was: ”God I’m starving! What’s for dinner?”
I had listened to albums by The Fiery Furnaces in the past. And like many artists, it took going to a live performance before I really understood what they’re all about. I expressed interest on Twitter that night for a book of their lyrics to read. Like a changing green light at just the right moment before pause, I was thrilled to learn that there was in fact such a book.
Arty? Refreshingly so. Entertaining? You betcha. Spoken word tends to validate itself well, particularly so on paper.
This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle.
Sounds like: James Blake, Jaime xx, Burial
What’s so good?
There’s something to be said about the anonymous producer, the artist who chooses to hide behind a mask and forgo all marks of physical identity. Greats like MF Doom, Deadmau5, and the gents from Daft Punk all perform in disguise. Why do they present themselves this way? In a culture where the creator can play the part of celebrity, is it a noble effort to force the hand of the art itself? Is it an attempt to retain personal privacy while in the public eye? Or is the artist simply… shy? What’s going on behind the mask?
Whatever the reason, SBTRKT is a producer who clearly puts his musicianship first by eschewing all norms and expectations for a mostly — in the traditional sense of the genre — electronic record. That’s not to say it’s not an innovative album. In fact, the opposite is true. SBTRKT incorporates the wobbly, arrhythmic sensibilities of fellow electronic and R&B line-toers like James Blake, Com Truise, and Jaime xx while infusing his own point of view.
We hear hints of dubstep paired with a similarly clean production sound, developed with the finessed ear of maybe a daylight-driven Burial or simplified Clubroot. The silent upbeats we hear are filled with meaning, just as the vowels omitted from his name.
A few months back I had the opportunity to interview Dirty Vegas when they came to town. Check out the video we produced thanks to… Read More »Video Interview: Dirty Vegas (Original Video)
This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle.
What’s so good?
Whether you’re a serious music aficionado or someone simply workin’ the biz, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the great new material out there. And with the amount of great stuff coming at us from seemingly every angle, it becomes difficult to tune in to everything that piques our interest — let alone find time to connect with that one great album.
That personal connection is at the root of what makes music great. Somehow, we need to get back to that crazy-good feeling of wanderlust. You know, the emotional part of the music experience that’s all about getting lost and descending deep within those arresting waves of sound.
This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle. Sounds like: El-P, The Roots, 7L & Esoteric, Murs, Aesop Rock What’s so good? Atmosphere returns with their seventh… Read More »Atmosphere – The Family Sign
What’s so good? When changing gears for an upcoming album, it’s not unusual for an electronic artist to succumb to a particular metamorphis tending to be… Read More »Dirty Vegas – Electric Love