Adesh Thapliyal

Here’s the rub: Kero Kero Bonito is shrouded in layers of ambiguous irony. You can see what you want to see. Whatever you end up finding, the title of its latest album’s lead single will echo in your head: It’s “Only Acting.”

Of course, “Gee” wasn’t a hit in the West, at least not by industry standards. But the song set a new precedent that later K-pop acts, such as Psy, BTS and Loona, would follow — their success would be measured in YouTube views, Twitter follows and Instagram likes, and not solely by chart peaks.

Companies such as FilmStruck never wanted to be anything more than niche. But they had a big idea: They wanted to be a panacea to the algorithm-driven big data culture that plagues the streaming industry.

“Mid90s” is not a waste of your time. That may seem like a low bar for a movie to reach, but for what “Mid90s” appeared to be from the trailer, the bar is as low as the Marianas Trench.

Whose weight is Remy crumbling under? Is it the pressure of history, femininity or environmental neglect? Or maybe it’s the fury of all injustice. After all, she sings: “As if you couldn’t tell, I’m mad as hell.”

Santigold has left her alt-rock days behind for sunnier pastures. When she obliged the audience by performing her biggest hit, “Disparate Youth,” it felt awkward and out of place, like a goth wearing Lisa Frank clothing.

Initially, when the band emerged from the wings of the stage to a roar from the audience, it was very hard to find Courtney Barnett. The quirky Australian indie rocker made her name as the Bob Dylan of millennial artists, and she looked the part in a plain white T-shirt and black pants.

Earl Sweatshirt hasn’t released new music in over two years. What he’s been up to in the meantime is producing… sweatshirts?

BTS’ latest, Love Yourself 轉 ‘Tear,’ the last of a triptych of albums, is not what we would expect for its triumphant American breakthrough.

The latest entry to the increasingly crowded Bay Area music festival scene, Blurry Vision Fest made a splash in its debut this weekend at the Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland.