June is LGBT Pride month and this year was particularly momentous, as it ended with a bang, when DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) was ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court, Prop 8 got the boot and scores of same-sex couples headed to courthouses for their marriage licenses, now that same-sex marriage is legal again […]

Local scenes come-and-go. A group of friends otherwise like-minded creative people come across a similar aesthetic and influence each other to create a community of artists all making music that informs and stimulate each other. That happens every day and it’s the main reason why it’s usually a little weird when you don’t know where […]

Do you like it when hot chicks and super-fun, talented musicians make albums about your inner-most personal thoughts (even the ones you’ve never really admitted to having, not even to your therapist, for fear that they would report you to a higher authority)? Bosnian Rainbows’ debut album (of the same name) will make you wish […]

Andy Cato, former half of british duo Groove Armada, is breaking out on his own with an extensive new album Times & Places, with material that spans decades. Providing a chronological map of his musical puberty, the 18-track album traces his DJ career from his start in the UK’s squat rave scene of the early 90s […]

Dead Gaze aka Cole Furlow is a residing member of the Cats Purring Collective (D.I.Y. music/booking dude ranch featuring fellow artists Dent May, Bass Drum of Death, etc.), and has released tracks on various D.I.Y. labels (Group Tightener, Fire Talk, Clan Destine) since 2009. Things have finally come full circle and a compilation of the […]

When was the last time a power-pop album grabbed the attention of the cool kids? I guess it depends on your definition of power-pop but finding the balance between the sweetness of melody, the universality of a soaring melody and the earnestness of no-hyphen-rock-n-roll has been a difficult balance for artists since the early 70s. […]

Los Angeles duo, Kisses (aka Jesse Kivel and Zinzi Edmundson) have released their sophomore album Kids in L.A. today, Tuesday May 14 (Cascine). The album’s clean, mature synth-pop sound really shines with British pop guru Tim Larcombe (Lana Del Rey, Sugababes) and Saint Etienne’s Pete Wiggs at the producing helm. Yet, the album still maintains a balance of […]

Contrary to what you might have heard, Savages’ debut album, Silence Yourself is not a perfect record. However, this record might be something more exciting than a perfect record — a record that is both a screeching introduction and a solid foundation to build on. Great debut records are few and far between. Most bands have […]

Half of the term “music business” is “business.” The business and those who work in it, have been a factor in how we listen to, and experience music since the advent of recording. It’s very easy, but very lazy to demonize the entire business of music. Brian Epstein (Beatles manager) plays as large a part as […]

Nicolas Fromageau who started M83 with Anthony Gonzalez, and was a major presence on the first two M83 albums, departed the group and later founded Team Ghost in 2009 in Paris. Their first two teaser EPs garnered them the attention of Crystal Castles, whom they toured with in the UK, but only now has the group really […]