Biopics aren’t known for their socio-politcal impact. Few of them ever do more than crystallize an accepted artistic narrative into mythos. They aren’t supposed to talk about issues larger then their subject. They may skirt with race relations, but it isn’t the focus. They don’t talk about police brutality, unless the subject is the one brutalized. […]

It’s almost August. Gasp! Have you done enough with your summer? Seen enough shows? Thrown enough pong balls into cups? Taken enough substances ‘to the head’ as it were? Of course you haven’t! But there is still time to redeem yourself. FYF Fest is right around the corner. The capoff to the festival season is […]

Excitement was high for day two at the Pitchfork Music Festival …. and then the rain. It was in the back of everyone’s mind at the start of the day. But, no one thought it would hit with the intensity that it did. I blame Future Brown. Their constant imploring to “TURNUPTURNUPTURNUPTURNUP!” was taken very […]

Pitchfork (the media company, the brand, the behemoth) reminds me a lot of Coachella. Specifically: Most of the reasons people hate on it are totally valid, but after you accept all that; it’s still the dopest company in their field. Pitchfork Music Festival did not disappoint. The main issue with so many city-based festivals is that […]

18 year-old British wunderkind Amber-Simone’s voice is a massive force. At times she sounds tinged with a Michael Jackson voraciousness, at others she weaves through the dark corridors of the Weeknd’s most sensual meanderings. But on her breathtaking new single “I’m Feeling High” Simone has become more difficult to compare than ever. It’s telling that […]

Since securing posterity in the seminal band Thievery Corporation, Rob Garza has been flitting between worlds. He doesn’t just do music and tour anymore, he owns clubs in Mexico, started a mezcal company (PapaDiablo) and continues his role as one of the coolest dad’s on the planet to his four-year old son. But burgeoning creativity is […]

Hometown heroes Best Coast are releasing their new album California Nights on Tuesday (via Harvest.) But, you can hear the album a few days early over at their tumblr. Check it out here. The stream comes on the heels of three releases: “Feeling Ok,” “Heaven Sent” and the album’s title track. You can listen to all three songs below. Best […]

Tame Impala are gearing up for a new album, the ludicrously anticipated follow up to 2012’s Lonerism. Currents has not been given any specified release date, but considering that the singles tally hit tres today, and that surprise releases are so en vogue, the damn thing could blow any day now! Earlier today, Tame Impala’s lead […]

When we first pulled into the forest the conglomeration of camps sprawled under and around trees brought to mind Tohu Wa-bohu.  But, far from being a mess, this primordial condition was one of the most relieving aspects of the weekend. You could camp pretty much wherever you wanted. You could wear anything, you could be […]

Sufjan Stevens has always been a conceptual artist. He got his start trying to make one album for every one of the 50 American states. The two records that came out of that ambition (Michigan and Illinois) were heavily researched and painstaking feats of historical fiction put to lush instrumentation. On his new record, Carrie & […]

Update: Previously we mistakenly reported that KCRW would broadcast the live session on Friday, March 27th. The broadcast of this show will be on Friday, April 3rd. I felt terribly underdressed at KCRW’s private Toro y Moi show. It was the mini flatbread crackers that did it. There were elegant trays of them, three different […]

What makes the genre of rap compelling is the one-upmanship of artist’s egos. This is most obviously noted in lyrics, but can also be a form of bravado associated with being the first to corner a sound or a theme. On the stage this is no different. Wu Tang, D-12, Watch The Throne, have all […]

The rain couldn’t have picked a better night to make an appearance. Huddled in the shelter of The Echo, a packed house stared at two empty chairs on stage awaiting the arrival of Jessica Pratt. But, the reverie was slightly broken by the PA. Strange as it may seem, Moby’s “South Side” was playing as […]

Photo by @kong_keast_adore It was a triumphant show for Body Language at The Echo Saturday night. “Thanks so much for coming out,” said lead-singer Angelica Bess to a packed audience, “We played the Echo five years ago to, like, five people. This really means a lot.” There were a lot more fans in attendance this […]

Flaming Lips Leave it to Shaun White to manifest winter’s bane. His enormous mountain/ramp might as well have been an altar. In case you hadn’t heard, it rained yesterday, and day two of the Air + Style festival was significantly different. But, I guess it isn’t so unnatural. I mean, it is February. And rain […]

It’s difficult to explain Desert Hearts without gushing or falling prey to antiquated terms of the PLUR heyday. It’s equally worrisome to give them any sort of press because this is one of LA’s best (not so) secret events. I hope it stays on the DL for at least a couple years longer, but considering […]

There is something brutally sad about Father John Misty’s new album. I Love You, Honeybear is almost entirely a tribute to Josh Tillman’s recent nuptials and the newfound outpour of love that marriage brings. But, upon closer observation, the record is also a dense piece that attempts to find the balance between this domesticity (“Emma […]

The Desert Hearts collective have been keeping it mad real for a minute now. Since starting in 2012 with a 300-person desert party described as a “renegade Mojave gathering” the group has enjoyed a steady increase in popularity. That success is as much due to their budding community’s religious subscription to staying love-oriented as well as […]

For the last 3 weeks Pitchfork, the grand mecca of 21st century music criticism (so far at least; after all, centuries are a long time), finally got their own radio station. It was a temporary thing. An Internet based radio program listenable through the Tune-In app on your phone. I listened to it pretty often. […]

A-Trak A-Trak showcased a considerable amount of DJ skill at his Converse Rubber Tracks show last night at the Echoplex. The three-time DJ World Champion juggled beats and scratched records like it wasn’t 2015. I couldn’t help wondering if the young crowd understood what he was doing, or appreciated how damn hard it is to […]