Once Silver Lake’s best-kept secret, Local Natives have been the darling of the indie rock world now for some time, and with the release of their sophomore album, Hummingbird, earlier this year, they have solidified a buzz and reputation that has propelled them onto the world stage.
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Pharmakon is the chosen stage name of New York native Margaret Chardiet, a young woman who is finally getting around to a widely released debut album (on Sacred Bones) after several years of ultra-limited edition releases off her own back. As far as context goes, that is all you’re going to get and all you’re going to need because the key to Abandon is in its title. Forget who Chardiet is or where she comes from. Forget everything you know about what constitutes music, and just focus on where it is this artist wants to take you.
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One of the best things about living in LA is the ridiculously great local music scene, and last night, LA Music Blogcast hosts Ben Gill and David “DJ” Fisch were joined by not one, but two talented local bands. The first, Digital Daggers, is one of the most prolifically used bands in TV and film and will be releasing their new album, Close Your Eyes, on June 11th. Our second guests, The Material, are coming off the April release of their latest full-length, Everything I Want To Say, and they’re currently in the running to win Warped Tour’s 2013 Battle of the Bands.
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Parisians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, better known as Daft Punk, are kind of a big deal. Their fourth album, Random Access Memories, which will be released come next Tuesday, is the first studio album for the duo in a whopping eight years. Its coming has been foretold by borderline excessive media fanfare the likes of which I’ve never witnessed for any electronic artist. In light of the upcoming release, now is as good a time as any to count down the best singles the elusive duo has released thus far. Keep ‘em coming, guys!
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Over the past 10 years, Markus Schulz has blended trance, progressive, and house music into his own distinct style that takes trance to a level just as hard as any other genre. With his own label (Coldharbor Records) and his own weekly podcast (Global DJ Broadcast), Schulz is at the forefront of dance music, and this Saturday I had the opportunity to chat with the “Unicorn Slayer” (as he has been lovingly dubbed by his fans) before his incredible Scream show at Avalon with The M Machine and KhoMha.
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Everyone knows “Green Onions.” The song’s rich and bouncy Hammond church organ gets every foot tapping, and most people under 40 are immediately reminded of the classic youth baseball film The Sandlot. When I hear it, I need to slap my knee like I am listening to the song for the first time while hanging out in a Southern barber shop, but whatever Booker T. Jones’ classic hit means to you, it is more than a nostalgic track — it is a piece of history.
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It looks like the weather is going to be pretty sweet this weekend after last weekend’s face melter (I live in the Valley and I’m pretty sure one of my ears melted off), but if there’s one thing as reliable as sunshine in LA, it’s the weekend entertainment. With this week’s FYF Fest announcement, along with HARD Summer scheduled for the same venue, we already know it’s going to be an epic musical summer in the city, so these dates are merely warm up for a long few months of dancing:
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It was the proverbial shot heard around the music world. Once the iTunes stream of Random Access Memories was up, it wasn’t long before the barrage of “OMG THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT’S EVER HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC” and, naturally, the “OMG THIS IS THE WORST THING I’VE EVER LISTENED TO AND I NEED TO DOUSE MY EARS WITH BATTERY ACID” posts began flooding the interwebs.
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Now that it’s summer time and festival season, we should be expecting more big room house remixes like this one from Hardwell and Krewella. The original song is a fun pop tune that, honestly, sounds like it could enjoy serious rotation on KISS.fm. Hardwell’s remix borrows the synths and poppy vocals of the original, but blends them into what kids these days call “a banger.” It certainly sounds like an anthem.
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On May 2nd, Little Boots kicked off her US tour in support of her then-upcoming release, Nocturnes, with a show in LA that I was lucky enough to attend. Released on May 7th through On Repeat Records, this follow-up to her 2009 album, Hands, offers a departure from Little Boots’ straight-ahead pop and is instead infused with more methodical house beats.
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