Oct
30

The Hex is Lifted: The Flaming Lips’ Embryonic by Aaron Matthews

Once I saw the video for “Do You Realize,” I was hooked. I copped The Soft Bulletin. I listened compulsively, obsessed with its sparkling, widescreen pop. From there, I ran through the Flaming Lips’ discography:  Transmissions From The Satellite Heart and Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (the Lips were always a covert pop band), Transmissions… Continue reading »

Oct
29

Death Star Rockin’ With the Hot Shit You Moving To: Robot Koch’s “Death Star Droid”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHGRaVkmz8w Robot Koch. The name sounds like a concept album Lupe Fiasco would conceive were he ever dropped from Atlantic and sent down to Triple A to rap for the label of choice for late-period Mobb Deep side-projects (I refuse to call it E1-it’s not a vegetable juice blend, it’s a record label). Straight out… Continue reading »

Oct
28

The Rise of D-Funk

During Dam-Funk’s takeover of Benji B’s BBC 1Xtra program this week, the latter told the Leimert Park -based funk pharaoh how much sense his music makes in Los Angeles, describing it as the ideal driving music–a simple but accurate observation. Dam’s slinky, swaying sunshine funk combines his 80s inspirations (Slave, Aurra, early Prince) with the… Continue reading »

Oct
27

Ron Artest-Afghan Woman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv2tTRg9QuU I’m not sure whether to laugh, cry, or attempt to discover whether or not this is part of some community service outreach program. First person to explain it to me wins an autographed copy of My World.

Oct
27

Never Eat at Denny’s and Party Like Lil Penny: Suggestions for Denny’s Late Night Rockstar Menu

Denny’s, the diner chain of choice for those benighted locales that lack a better alternative (an IHOP, a Steak-N-Shake, a Taco Truck, readily available roadkill) has recently announced their new late night Rockstar Menu, featuring such indelible dishes as Hoobastank’s Hoobaburrito, Jewel’s Acoustic Roasted Chicken Quesadilla, Sum 41′s The Sumwich, Good Charlotte’s Band of Burritos,… Continue reading »

Oct
26

Blakk Rockin’ Beats

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6D1t2PEWCY Late pass on Jahdan Blakkamoore, the Brooklyn-based, Guyanese-raised artist on DJ/Rupture’s Dutty Artz imprint.  Like his label boss, Blakkamoore switches seamlessly between styles and sub-genres, encompassing everything from roots reggae to dancehall, hip-hop and grime and dubstep. He has yet to incorporate “genuinely Persian music with the electronic tools of the 20th-century avant-garde,” the… Continue reading »

Oct
26

Daedelus & Lorn on Mary Anne Hobbs

The mutual admiration society between Daedelus and The Low End Theory always made sense. Since ’01, Alfred Darlington (he of the best chops since Ambrose Burnside), has aspired towards a futuristic blur of hip-hop, dance, and grimy, glitchy beats–the same combination favored at the Lincoln Heights hang-out. Last year, he dropped Live at Low End… Continue reading »

Oct
23

Where the Buffalo Roam

A fixture on the local club scene for the last six months, 18-year old guitar prodigy Avi Buffalo recently signed a deal with Sub Pop.  For those interested, I discuss the pact with the recent Long Beach Millikan grad and his A&R over at Pop and Hiss. For PoW purposes, I highly recommend downloading his… Continue reading »

Oct
23

Live from the Low End Theory: Beat Invitational 11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ssru7hYv4X8 I can’t believed I missed this. Then again, while this went down, I was watching a face- melting performance from Wooden Shjips in front of 100 people at the crackerbox Hemlock Tavern. A worthwhile consolation if there ever was. For those who don’t know, the Low End Theory Beat Invitationals find the club inviting… Continue reading »

Oct
23

The Soft Pack Answer To Themselves

The Soft Pack work best in the single format. Credit it to their sound, the aluminum clang, garage rock aesthetic so endemic to indie rock over the last few years: a barrage of insanely catchy, proto-punk surf guitar-encrusted nuggets like those collected by Lenny Kaye on the seminal 60s comps.  A SoCal answer to The… Continue reading »

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