Daft Punk’s new single “Get Lucky” has gone top twenty in the US and topped the digital charts in 55 different countries. Their album Random Access Memories is full of lush sounds and throwback nods to disco. Probably a good thing. “Give Life Back to Music” opens the album, and the song title indicates that these guys feel something has been lacking in music today. Don’t expect glow sticks or intensity on this track. It will settle into a nice mid-tempo groove and leave you wanting more. By Bruce Rave
This second emerging track from Beady Eye’s June album is arguably better than the first strong song, “Flick of the Finger”. This song also has horns, with an interesting groove underneath. Meanwhile Liam Gallagher is doing his best to fan the flames, stating he’ll retire if this album doesn’t do well. Based on these first two tracks, I don’t think that will be a concern. He also remarked on a photo of brother Noel hugging Blur’s Damon Albarn, saying that pic marks “the end of Britpop.” By Bruce Rave
Thee Oh Sees haven’t wasted any creative time with a quick return for their latest Floating Coffin album. “Toe Cutter-Thumb Buster” works as a fuzzy mid-tempo tune with melodic hooks all over, including the bass line and guitar work. Over sixteen years, this is the twelfth full-length for the various incarnations of this band (not including various EPs). Thee Of Sees retain a youthful vibe that is obviously serving them well. By Bruce Rave
Their Thr!!!er album dropped on Tuesday of this week, and this track shows a new side of the !!! guys. It’s got another fine !!! groove but is less-funky and more melodic than most of their work. See Chk Chik Chick live if you can this year. Their shows definitely bring the goods. By Bruce Rave
Liam Gallagher’s Beady Eye is back, and “Flick Of the Finger” is our first taste. It’s got that Liam intensity, augmented with a consistently present and bold horn section along with some spoken word parts. It’s a winner for me, and hopefully for you as well. We’ll hopefully hear the entire album in June. Liam is saying it will be “pretty druggy”.
Here’s the title track from what just might turn out to be one of 2013’s landmark albums, which Karen O. calls YYYs most lighthearted yet. “Mosquito” is an intense, straight ahead rock song with a huge sound; a hooky, driving rhythm section that showcases guitarist Nick Zinner in fine form. The dark and dirty bassline of this track will get under your skin and who better to sing the line “He’ll suck your blood” than Karen O? The album drops April 16 and you can peep the band’s recent performance of “Sacrilege” on Letterman below. By Bruce Rave
Django Django successfully ended their American tour at the Fonda on Saturday night, March 23. It’s been a quick rise for this refreshingly unique band, who was a Mercury Prize finalist and who made many year-end lists for 2012. A year ago, they were earnestly playing smaller SXSW venues as relative unknowns the the US. They sold out The Echo last fall, with several hundred onlookers and fans packed in and vibing to a show that was relentlessly electric. Saturday night, the guys expressed several times, their delight in playing on the Fonda stage. The venue holds about 1200, and an estimated 900 were on hand. Django Django attracted a good-natured crowd, as evidenced by the number of smiles on people during the intermission. The set sounded virtually note perfect, with all twelve songs coming from their debut album. The band has quickly moved to expand their show, with compelling lighting and some extended song versions. The tribal “Introduction” appropriately opened the festivities, leading into the popular “Hail Bop” just as on the CD. “Waveforms” has one of the band’s hottest grooves. The guys played an extended version with a nice little acapella section mid-song, followed by a jam that eased them back into the familiar tempo. Virtually every song has a dance feel and when they got to the acoustically based “Hand the Man”, it was a beautiful change of pace. The crowd was with them from the start but it was toward the end of the set when the house really got moving. As Django Django grows, it might behoove them to deliver their set with just a bit more punch to equal the impact they had at The Echo. As the show progressed, their hit “Default” and the garagy “Wor” ended things on an intense note. They returned to play “Silver Rays” for a hotly demanded encore. By Bruce Rave
The new single from Portugal. The Man is, for me, a pleasant surprise. “Evil Friends” has a quirky, melodic bounce that stands out very nicely, and my ears can’t resist. While PTM have a sturdy following, I’ve since felt the band needed an extra boost to rise above the upper middle. This just might be the track. By Bruce Rave
It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Luckily enough, their new Spector At the Feast album drops March 19 and just as our SXSW recoveries are underway. It’s a typical strong album for the BRMC crew, sometimes fast and hard, sometimes more mellow and on the slow side. Fans appreciate both styles from the band. “Hate the Taste” from the album is emerging for me as an early fave, and I know they’ll kill this one live as well. By Bruce Rave
Over the past year, Australia’s Gold Fields have proven themselves to be one of the most compelling new bands on the touring circuit. On Thursday, February 28th, the night following their TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel, and a new album release for Black Sun, The Troubadour in West Hollywood was sold out for a blazing set from the band.
The performance that night was solid. Lead singer Mark Robert Fuller and his bandmates blended hooky melodies and instrumental parts with their rather unique percussive style. Gold Fields’ playing was airtight as they moved in two gears. There were mid-tempo songs such as the successful single “Dark Again”, and all bets were off when Gold Field’s turned things up and keyboardist Rob Clifton joined drummer Ryan D’Sylva on percussion. Their perfect set closer was the blistering “Moves”, which was one of the most effective finales in my recent memory (the track was also the Jimmy Kimmel bonus track, check it out below). Other highlights that night included the softer, pretty “Happy Boy” and the band’s powerful cover of Underworld’s “Born Slippy” from the Trainspotting soundtrack. Somewhat surprising, given the dynamics of their music, Gold Fields have an unassuming way to their performing. With a certain confidence, the band and their fans let the music speak for itself.
Earlier in the night, I hung out with Mark and Ryan of Gold Fields backstage at The Troubadour for an in-depth chat. We talked about their music, touring, Jimmy Kimmel telling them “don’t fuck this up” just before the band went on the air, and of course their upcoming appearance at the B3SCI Presents Day Party during SXSW. You can check out that interview below.
Here is the first official single from Bowie’s return album, The Next Day due March 12th. The single follows up the slow-moving track “Where Are We Now”, which some loved and and some didn’t. “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” sounds more like what you’d expect from a mid-tempo Bowie song, and the title is of course appropriate for a single that dropped on the night following the Oscars. By Bruce Rave
If you like The Vaccines… even a little bit, then you should make a point to see them live. It’s surprising that the band haven’t gotten much US radio support, and like so many other succesful acts in the UK, their stateside ascendency hasn’t happened nearly at the same rate. The Vaccines’ recently performed for a sold-out crowd of 1,200 excited fans at the Henry Fonda Musicbox in Los Angeles on Thursday night this past Valentines Day. What the band has lacked in airplay, they clearly make up for with fans and sizzling live shows.
The Vaccines perform with power, and they play fast. They were originally labeled an indie band but they have said they’d rather be considered a rock group. That’s exactly what they acted like that night at the Henry Fonda. Freddie Cowan’s guitar playing shined that night, especially on the second encore track “Bad Mood”. Vocalist and guitar player Justin Young proved a strong, confident front man. The band’s set focused mostly on their two albums, without touching on the individual singles that were released in-between. Fan favorites “Post Breakup Sex” and “If You Wanna” from the first album closed the main set, receiving the best initial reactions. The girls especially took kindly to the band with many in rows in front singing along, and forcing the mosh pit to the back of the floor. Even those in the balcony were dancing up a storm. It seemed that even the band’s mid-tempo songs were played at a faster tempo that night, all except for the popular ballad “Wetsuit”.
Earlier in the evening, Australian collective San Cisco made a strong impression by more than holding their own as the evening’s middle support band. Their song “Awkward” was a hit in the land down under and was familiar to many in the LA crowd that night. “Rocket Ship” and a new song called “Fred Astaire” were also highlights. San Cisco is on the rise and will return to LA for in April for a headlining gig at The Troubadour. They will also be at SXSW. By Bruce Rave
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