Buzz bands disappoint, locals shine at SXSW 2010
Industry professionals and music fans descend on Austin, Texas for the annual festival.
Young Hollywood takes on punk legends
Last weekend, subjects of teen worship Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning starred as the girl-power punk rockers Joan Jett and Cherie Currie of the Runaways. Not only did the duo take on new personalities and wardrobes for the roles, they bravely accepted the responsibility of covering well-known Runaways songs for the soundtrack. The soundtrack perfectly […]
Static’s new album much more than white noise
The band’s name might be the literal translation of the Finnish word for “computer,” but Static of the Gods’ latest release Knowledge Machine is all about life, humanity and emotion. The Boston-based trio of Jen Johnson, Mike Latulippe and Ben Voskeritchian have put together one of the best albums so far this year, but its […]
Latina rapper explores U.S. on latest tour
Anita Tijoux, a Chilean emcee, probed her French upbringing to make 1977, her 2009 album, which was recently released stateside.
Gorillaz’s latest shows off pop music at its finest
Gorillaz’s newest release, Plastic Beach, is unmistakably pop. But confined to current and somewhat mistaken definitions of the genre, this is either an insult or just plain wrong. Indie music buffs might denounce such a claim, pointing to the many guest appearances — from progressive artists such as De La Soul and Mos Def — […]
Soundtrack mixes Disney pop and eerie rock
A curious conglomeration of artists came together to form the questionable but well-meaning backtrack to Tim Burton’s latest cinematic creation. After watching Alice in Wonderland in theaters, moviegoers can now pick up a copy of Almost Alice, an album of songs inspired by the whimsical film. Though the album brings together an admirable amount of […]
Classical groups realize Bach’s religious epic
Two choirs and two orchestras perform the entire St. Matthew Passion at Disney Hall Sunday.
Contest winners, local band unite for Haiti
USC students who won Ground Zero’s open mic competition opened for Motion Picture Show at a benefit concert Friday.
New album lacks typical energy and cohesiveness
For those unfamiliar with Owen Pallett, he is the person behind the artist pseudonym Final Fantasy. Before his third full-length album Heartland was released, Pallett was forced by a lawsuit courtesy of what should be a rather obvious entity to drop the Final Fantasy name. Under that moniker, Pallett released two solid albums and proved […]
Rapper is a Canadian alternative hip-hop gem
Kevin Brereton, also known by his stage name k-os, is a Canadian alternative hip-hop artist that has yet to cultivate a substantial following in the United States. This might be expected if k-os was an average artist of average talent or if he was simply a carbon copy of the current stars of alternative hip-hop. […]