Frightened Rabbit, the ten-year-old indie rock band from Glasgow, writes big, melodic songs tackling complex and often uncomfortable topics. They’re touring in support of their outstanding new LP, Painting of a Panic Attack, whose songs explore dark territory, yet are delivered with energy, passion and hooks layered upon hooks.
On the surface, this song off of Okkervil River’s 2013 album, The Silver Gymnasium, sounds like a buoyant, pop song. But listen closer and you’ll discover a harrowing and devastating story about a young boy and his best friend at the hands of some “very bad men”. When the father enters the story about half way through I am reminded of the novel, The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, where the dad will do whatever it takes to protect his son.
This live-in-the-studio version shows just how powerful, melodic and literate this underrated rock group is. As usual, turn your volume knob to the right before playing…
Did you love the 90′s? Everyone loves the 90’s!. Apparently so does The Palace Ballroom, an indie/post-grunge/melodic alt-rock band from San Diego. And really, fuck it, don’t worry about genres or labels or styles – just click the white arrow in the red box, turn your volume up, and rock out
This atmospheric track off the San Diego duo’s debut LP, The Grey, has a timeless quality to it and is perfect for when you want to just chill out. Lion & the Lady is comprised of Al (I’m not happy unless I’m in 17 bands) Howard and Trent Hancock of ghostbird
Check out Lion and the Lady here: facebook
I do a lot of my music listening in my car (a Toyota Highlander which is basically just a life support system for a pretty awesome sound system). I seem to usually listen with the volume somewhere between 15 and 20 (out of 40). This album, Here and Nowhere Else, is new to me and when this song came on I instinctively reached for the volume knob and cranked it to concert level volume. Then replayed it. This song starts with a slow build, then shifts into another gear and then just plain explodes all over place.
Sometimes I spend so much time checking out new music that I don’t pay close enough attention to what I already have. Here is an absolute gem from Canadian indie outfit Plants & Animals. This is the title track from their 2012 album of the same name. I played this song on the way to the beach with my son and daughter yesterday and as I bopped my head back and forth I looked in the rear-view mirror and I was perfectly in time with my daughter’s head bop!
Plants & Animals just released their followup album but I have not heard it yet – more on that soon…
There seems to be no end to the supply of two piece guitar/drum duos in rock n’ roll these days. Here is Gloomsday, the self-described “doom pop” band from San Diego, rockin’ out on a track from their Sunburn Sessions EP, released in 2015. Gloomsday is easily one of my favorite San Diego bands – more on them soon…
One of my favorite bands in San Diego for a couple years now has been Soft Lions. I was fortunate to see them in their debut show at the Soda Bar at the end of 2013; I saw them again the next year opening for Small Black and Snowmine, and then again this past summer at a headlining record-release show at the Casbah.
Clearing out my tumblr (originally posted summer 2015):
Last spring I sent my Northern California concert correspondent (AKA my daughter, Mindy, who is going to school at Sonoma State) to see Mr. Gnome play – here is her report:
The reunited Luna played to a sold out and enthusiastic crowd on this night at the Casbah. The lineup consisted of hubby/wife duo of Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, longtime guitarist Sean Eden, and drummer Lee Wall.
The 16 song set was comprised mostly of songs from two earlier albums:Penthouse and Bewitched; as well as several from their last record.Rendezvous. I had never seen Luna before but I’m glad I caught them this time around. The band was really tight as they seemed to play their melodic pop/rock effortlessly. The band’s appreciation of the Velvet Underground was apparent in many songs, especially on the closer to the main set, “Friendly Advice”.
After a short break Luna returned to play “23 Minutes in Brussels” off of the 1995 album Penthouse and then launched into a ragged indie rock version of the George McCrae disco classic, “Rock Your Body”. [You can catch a clip of this HERE – I did not take this video but whoever did must have been standing only a few feet from me].
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