Deep Throat Choir is a London-based all-women singing collective that’s been active since 2013. The group was formed by Luisa Gerstein (formerly of Landshapes); it started as a handful of friends and quickly expanded, staying true to a vocals-only performance style augmented by minimal percussion. Their repertoire consists mostly of interpretations of other artists’ songs […]
The Bots comprises the Lei brothers, Mikaiah (guitar/vocals) and Anaiah (drums). They’ve been recording music since they were 15 and 12 years old, respectively. They’re now both officially adults (Anaiah turned 18 last November), with a worldwide touring résumé that would be the envy of most bands twice their age. But road-tested as they may […]
Chaz Bundick has been releasing records under the name Toro y Moi since 2010. His music tends to get categorized as variously synth/indie-pop/electronic/house/funk/r&b with the occasional touch of Latin and Disco, which just shows how many influences and interests this particularly talented guy brings to his work. The lush, layered production style of even his […]
Dan Deacon is a highly prolific and relentlessly energetic creator/performer of electronic music. He started releasing records as a college student in 2003 and has since accumulated an impressive body of work, gradually broadening his scope to include contemporary classical elements, film scoring, and collaborations. Deacon is a true oddball (in the best sense of […]
TV On The Radio’s unique blend of joy, despair, ferocious intensity and sardonic humor endures on Seeds, their fifth full-length studio album. The band lost founding member Gerard Smith to cancer in 2011, which could be part of why Seeds‘ lyrics skew more toward specific, heartfelt emotions than much of their past work. Lead singer […]
Philadelphia singer/songwriter Aaron Livingston, who previously contributed vocals to albums by The Roots and collaborated with prolific producer RJD2 on the album The Abandoned Lullaby, has now rechristened himself Son Little and released the EP Things I Forgot. Son Little has a soul singer’s voice, but his musical interests are absolutely all over the place. […]
A few weeks ago in New York City, Amy and I stumbled upon a Xiu Xiu performance that I had previewed here on the blog back in September, then forgotten to add to our calendar. The performance was called Metal, and hosting space The Kitchen described it this way: Wielding massive hammers, two Thai gold […]
No slaves to brevity, Washington DC’s Paperhaus deliver 6:24 of energetic yet hypnotic guitar-driven drone-rock with “Cairo”, the first track of their forthcoming eponymous debut album, due out in February 2015. The full-length Paperhaus is a wildly eclectic collection of songs delivered by several different singers, but the band’s sound is consistently rooted in a […]
Your Halloween treat from Mac McCaughan this year is a cover of the title track from the first Sisters of Mercy album, which came out way back in 1985. Where Andrew Eldritch’s vocals on the original version are soaked in his typical portentous bombast, McCaughan’s rendition is more sweet and vulnerable. Still, Mac couldn’t […]
30 years after the formation of Screaming Trees, the mighty Mark Lanegan has just released his ninth solo album, Phantom Radio. Lanegan’s growling, irascible voice seems barely changed over the years, and his lyrical fascination with spiritual terrors and personal failings remains unique in its unpretentious intelligence. Phantom Radio is produced by LA eclectic-rock veteran […]