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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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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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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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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Brit-rockers Peace first caught my attention at this year’s SXSW. While I was working at Lustre Pearle on Rainey Street, I heard infectious dance beats down the street at Clive Bar and made a mental note to find out who that band was. Alas, bombarded with end-of-festival breakdown, one too many celebratory drinks, and the topper, a missed flight home, Peace got buried in the chaos.
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Last year’s edition of FYF Fest, the premier music festival in Los Angeles, featured just about everything you could ask for from a festival: a really solid lineup, a bunch of terrific performances, nonstop sunshine, good food and drink, and a real coup in the headline slot for Refused, playing their first (and last) LA date in many years with a triumphant Saturday night performance. This year is the tenth anniversary of the festival, and it was always going to take something special to top last year.
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I’ve been kicking off my music listening every day for the past week with the new Vampire Weekend album, but it’s not the only great effort being released today. We have new albums from The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Boxer Rebellion, as well as debuts from Dungeonesse and MS MR, so check out the full list of album releases that have us excited below and let me know in the comments what you’ll be listening to today!
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Blink 182 and Angels & Airwaves frontman Tom DeLonge has been working on a science fiction screenplay. He’s been leaving a trail of clues on Instagram, and his most recent photos suggest his script is finally ready!
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As the only person I know who still actively makes use of their library card, I was long overdue to check out a Kindle. Hundreds of e-books at my fingertips? Yes, please! I’m also a fan of anything that allows me to experience music in the highest quality possible, so when I was offered the opportunity to take a look at the new Kindle Fire HD 8.9”, I was definitely interested. However, as a longtime Mac user, I was also hesitant. My computer is a Macbook, my phone is an iPhone…could my tablet be a Kindle?
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