Call me a cynic but I tend to shy away from saccharine, fun-sized pop hits. You know, those tracks that fill up radio airwaves with their juvenile rhymes, overuse of “baby”s and “your lips”s and disgustingly generic chords. But surprisingly, I found myself warming up to Matt Nathanson’s Modern Love, Read More…
The moon was near full on the starry night of Sunday, June 12. Luminous and imposing, it became a portent of the otherworldly night ahead. As the sun waned ahead the Greek Theater, mills of people, young and old, emerged from the woodwork. A mysterious scent permeated the air, herbal Read More…
The oddly-named Australian duo An Horse defied more than just grammar Saturday night in San Francisco. Vocalist and guitarist Kate Cooper teamed up with drummer Damon Cox to put on a charismatic performance at Bottom of the Hill where they headlined a show that included fellow rockers Poor Bailey and Read More…
While listening to the debut release from independent Bay Area artist the Bins, it’s difficult to comprehend the idea that such a coherent and seemingly organic EP could be made simply by mixing sounds from 200 different records. Operating as a one-man band, the Bins’ Clark Barclay continues the practice Read More…
It’s fitting that folk artist Marissa Nadler’s fifth album is her first self-titled one. She recorded it on her own label, funded it with cash investments from fans using the Internet funding platform Kickstarter, and now owns all of the rights to her material. All it takes is a quick Read More…
If Kanye West is the David Bowie of hip hop, then rappers Eminem and Royce da 5’9 can best be described as his Dylan and Cash counterparts. The Detroit natives have rekindled their chemistry and collaborated on a new record under the moniker Bad Meets Evil, the same name as Read More…
Owl City’s All Things Bright and Beautiful is a cotton candy confection that’s totally at home on a twelve-year-old girl’s iPod. The songs are steeped in electro strings and canned beats, making All Things familiar territory to anyone who has heard Owl City’s breakout single “Fireflies”. Owl City (aka Adam Read More…
Leg warmers and parachute pants may be lost in the ’80s — or so we hope — but Junior Boys persevere through the glam metal haze to bring an electropop album with a nostalgic ’80s coating. With their fourth studio album It’s All True, the Canadian duo of Jeremy Greenspan Read More…
The fellas of Miami Horror are very nice boys indeed — well-spoken, sunny men you could bring out for brunch with grandma. I sat down with the Melbourne-based disco pop quartet before their Thursday night show at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco to discuss their influences, their ambitions and Read More…
Reviving the sound of the music industry’s innocent beginnings, the Postelles delight ears with their jaunty guitar riffs and hand-clapping beats. This New York-based group harbor a particular fondness for the good ol’ bubblegum pop of ’60s, a liking that becomes quite apparent within a few seconds of blasting their Read More…
