If there’s one problem plaguing the creative output of NYC trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs (and rest assured, there is likely more than one problem), it’s that they don’t have much to prove anymore. After ascending to notoriety with their gritty, minimalist debut Fever to Tell, they managed to conjure up Read More…
The Flaming Lips have become something of a flanderized band. That is to say, much like Ned Flanders from “The Simpsons,” time has turned them into a caricature of what they once were. With each new release, this group of esoteric psychonauts becomes more exaggeratedly esoteric and psychonautical. Their 2009 Read More…
The turntable has been used as an instrument since the early days of hip-hop in the 1970s. The days of analog vinyl scratching have evolved into the digital era, in which physical records are no longer needed. French turntablist group C2C have brought together an eclectic collection of sounds spanning Read More…
SCORE. The word can mean success. It can be the written copy of a musical composition. And starting April 12, the word will refer to the SCORE Berkeley program that is to engage students at Willard Middle School and — the program’s directors hope — enrich their lives. The concept Read More…
James Blake has always been somewhat of a musical dichotomy. Since his debut release nearly four years ago, Blake has been carefully straddling the line between the UK post-dubstep scene and his own pop music leanings, a feat evidenced by arguably his most popular single to date, the wobbly, earth-shaking Read More…
There are few words to properly describe the power of Chicago-based artist Angel Olsen’s music. Olsen’s ability to manipulate her voice — which at one moment seems almost effortless and at the next unbelievably powerful — is reminiscent of a 1920s radio personality. Her lyrics are painfully honest, and her Read More…
Recent articles in music publications have decried the state of indie rock, declaring that is has gone “soft” and become too “wimpy.” While these sentiments may be extreme, it’s true that indie has trended less toward the rock ‘n’ roll of Pavement or the White Stripes and more toward the Read More…
There’s the essential canon of Lil Wayne’s extensive discography, and then there’s I Am Not A Human Being II. With his incredible music run in the second half of the last decade, Lil Wayne fulfilled his personal quest to become one of rap’s greats. The next few years found Wayne Read More…
“Guitar technology really stops in the 1950s,” according to Zivix music product specialist Chris Heille. “Guitars have basically been stuck, (with guitar players) relegated to one set of sound and expression. We want to give them another tool.” Zivix’s new JamStik sets out to expand the horizons of guitar-playing in Read More…
On Sunday, world-renowned trumpet player, bandleader, composer and music director Wynton Marsalis returned to Zellerbach Hall, performing for one night only. His band, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, is highly regarded as one of the best big bands in the world today. JLCO is a 15-piece ensemble composed of Read More…
