A short list of recommended L.A.-area shows for the coming week (plus videos for instant gratification). Click “details” for descriptions.
A brand new installment of L.A.’s taste-making vinyl column, INCHES, has officially dropped. New and recent, some deluxe, wax releases from doom kings Sunn O))), Low End Theory figurehead Flying Lotus, Detroit producer House Shoes, Chicago post-metalleers Russian Circles, and Britain’s old fashioned Langley Sisters. MP3s, photography, reviews.
Behold, the first release to earn a space-swallowing vertical shot:
Sunn O))), "Monoliths & Dimensions"
Well hot damn. On Friday night, GZA came to town and he wasn’t alone. Not hardly. In addition to a large posse of unfamiliar (though talented) rap understudies, The Genius brought RZA and Killah Priest along for the ride. They performed most of the classic Liquid Swords album, along with a bunch of other hits. I got nostalgic with this one. Took it all the way back to freshman year in high school. Steve Plant, if you’re out there, holler.
The RZA, razor sharp.
A short list of recommended L.A.-area shows for the coming week (plus videos for instant gratification). Click “details” for descriptions.
The Genius to enlighten Echo Park.
Last night at Hollywood’s Henry Fonda Theater, Afro-pop preps Vampire Weekend kicked off what’s shaping up to be about a year’s worth of touring behind the band’s excellent new album, Contra. Photographer Andrew Herrold and I were there on Spin‘s behalf, documenting the moment for those who weren’t able to squeeze into the sold-out night. Read/look here.
Ezra Koenig's hair never broke rank. (Andrew Herrold)
A short list of recommended L.A.-area shows for the coming week (plus videos for instant gratification). Click “details” for descriptions.
Quick bloggy bits* from around the L.A. underground (and up). We’ve got some catching up to do, people. Your patience shall be rewarded with MP3s and tips on fresh talent.
(all stories via West Coast Sound, via LA Weekly)
*If you like it, then you better put a tweet on it.
Barely related bonus: The wife and I were quoted in this L.A. Times article.
Care to hear the best songs from the L.A. underground in 2009? Click on over to KPCC, where I visited last week in order to talk to All Things Considered host Alex Cohen about three of my favorites. Discussed: Foreign Born’s “Vacationing People,” Nosaj Thing’s “Coat Of Arms,” and Nite Jewel’s “Artificial Intellience,” as well as the scenes/movements each artist represents. Listen to the audio by clicking the little play button at the top of the article, and feel free to download each song via the side panel.
Foreign Born take a victory lap.
Further reading:
– An interview with Foreign Born’s Matt Popieluch (via The A.V. Club)
– A feature on Nosaj Thing (via LA Weekly)
– Various items about Nite Jewel (mostly via LA Weekly)
A short list of recommended L.A.-area shows for the coming week (plus videos for instant gratification). Click “details” for descriptions.
Sure to ruffle a few feathers, LA Weekly‘s “10 Best L.A. Albums Of The ’00s” feature hit the web (and newsstands) today and the list is about as eclectic as the city itself. Alongside solid entries by solid homies like Drew Tewksbury and Jeff Weiss, not to mention music ed Randall Roberts, you’ll find two write-ups by yours truly — on Flying Lotus’ Los Angeles, and Rabbit Fur Coat, by Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins.
Flying Lotus throws up his city.
Jenny Lewis throws up dessert (later).
Chris Writes Things 