By Kimberly Chun

You want to wipe away the gloom with some swoony, loony sounds, you know you do. More music than we could cram into ye olde newsprint.

Alternative Tentacles 30th Anniversary Incest-a-Thon
The proceedings kick off with Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine -- and it's going to be raging and ornery from the sound of the outfit's new The Audacity of Hype (Alternative Tentacles). The fun continues with Citizen Fish, Star Fucking Hipsters, and MIA (the hardcore band not the lady) opening tonight; Ludicra, Munly and the Lupercalians, and Knights of the New Crusade Friday, and Alice Donut, Victims Family, and Burning Image Saturday. Sounds like a good, loudly irreverent time for all. Thurs/5-Sat/7, 8 p.m., $20-$22 ($50 three-day pass). Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell, SF. (415) 885-0750.

Hank IV and Celine Dion
Hank Sr. gets a hard twirl in his grave, as the Bay Area troublemakers’ hearts go on. With Blues Control. Thurs/5, 9 p.m., $7. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk St., SF. (415) 923-0923.

Dawes
The early-20-something LA foursome have been listening closely to The Big Pink -- namely the Band, not the UK 4AD duo. With Langhorne Slim and Austin Lucas. Fri/6, Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1422.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Alternative Tentacles, Pixies, Paramore, Finches, R. Kelly, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 05:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Text and photos by Lisa Weiss

Photos from the 40th anniversary Woodstock celebration at Speedway meadow:

“This is righteous! It’s a part of history!” Terry Kennedy makes up the seriously daunting security behind the scenes at this year’s West Fest. He, along with many of his fellow security handlers and 2B1 record employees, lent a hand to the celebrations to commemorate the majestic memories from Summer of Love and Woodstock.

More pix after the jump

Continue reading "West Fest: The fun and the photos" »

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Posted by Tim Redmond at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Folk this: Decemberists' Colin Meloy. All photos by Kimberly Chun.

By Kimberly Chun

Ah, washing up on Treasure Isle late in the day Sunday, Oct. 18, seemed like the way - though it was a bummer to miss Vetiver, Beirut, et al. The short and sweet stuff: it was considerably colder and foggier than Saturday, so it was in everybody's best interest to huddle together en masse while Walkmen and then the Decemberists played. And wow, what fabulous animations accompanied the Portland, Ore., band's set - tumbling with wild things, pyramids, geometrics, landscapes of jewel-like mountains and obelisks, star fields, and the like. The perfect accompaniment to the delicate Brit folk and outright psych-prog the band is purveying these days: the standout was the title track of this year's The Hazards of Love album (Capitol).

Greening of YLT: Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan, right, and James McNew.

The following set by Yo La Tengo seemed almost anticlimactic, though you had to appreciate the strenuous noise jams the band is rolling out. Ira Kaplan helmed the keyboard from the start then switched over to guitar as the combo abruptly segued into "Stockholm Syndrome," with James McNew on falsetto vocals. Up next, just as quickly: the loveable, cacophonous "Here to Fall" off YLT's new Popular Songs (Matador).

Man in a bubble: Flaming Lips in utero.

The wait was completely worth it, as we tarried in the photo pit (and my camera decided to die on me) and Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips set up on the main stage. All-girl backup vocalists with bunny ears, the Lips busting through the pull-apart screen at the exact do-go-there spot where a massive go-go girl opened her legs. (Coyne rolled out in his big bubble, followed by a stage-diving bunny.) Ah, no one delivers a show like FL (though there was a health emergency up front where I was -- the frontman later asked to see if the lady taken off was OK). Coyne offered an opening monologue about how the group is an honorary SF band of sorts since the first show they ever played was at the beloved ole I-Beam in the Haight. We'll take 'em.

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 06:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

The tao of Au, the Wu of a Killah -- that’s the spirit. More sounds to sit with and move to.

AU - RR vs. D from Rainbow Dropshadow on Vimeo.

Au
Toy pianos, ethereal vocals, and Portland, Ore.-steeped experimentation. With Why?, Mount Eerie, and Serengeti and Polyphonic. Sat/17, 9 p.m., $16. Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell, SF. (415) 885-0750.

Dan Deacon
The high Deacon of the laptop gospel preaches to the choir. With Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Teeth Mountain, and Nuclear Power Pants. Sat/17, 9 p.m., $10. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. (415) 820-9669.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Dan Deacon, Ghostface Killah, La Roux, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Ariel Soto

"Kylie, Kylie, Kylie!" shrieked the ecstatic crowd on September 30 as Kylie Minogue, riding a gigantic gold skull, descended to the stage to start the what was the beginning of her very first US tour. From the stunning laser show to her edgy geometric costume, Kylie awed her fans with her energy and hot dance moves. The audience, which was largely dominated by beautiful boys and their beautiful boyfriends, were obvious devotees of the pop diva, and many were decked out in feathers, sequins and glitter. She must have known she would find hella love in the Bay Area and therefore honored us with the first show on her US tour. It's inspiring to see someone in her 40s be so sexy and confident on stage. You go, Kylie! Take on the US -- you'll have no problem winning over every last one of us!

Continue reading "Kylie Minogue at the Fox Theater" »

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Posted by SFBG at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Interview by Mirissa Neff. From SCENE: The Guardian Guide to Bay Area Nightlife and Glamour, on stands in our regular issue now!

Funky C with his band Joya, photographed for our SCENE cover by Spencer Hansen

Known throughout Latin America as C-Funk, singer, guitarist, and DJ Funky C, a.k.a. Cristian Moraga, was born during the bleak days of Pinochet's dictatorship. He co-fronted popular funk-rock-hip-hop band Los Tetas and brought the groove back to a Chilean scene rife with disenfranchised punk rockers. When Los Tetas ended, Moraga vowed never to set foot on another stage. Lucky for us, though, his particular brand of funk (what he calls "Funk Latino") was too chronic to shake. The mothership brought him to San Francisco where he recorded Joya (Sonic 360, 2007), an album full of nods to funk icons like James Brown and George Clinton and less-expected heros like Tupac and Snoop Dogg. With two recent slots at the Fillmore under his belt, Funky C is set to throw down his deep-rooted riffs and infectious songs at a series of new parties called "Latin Biatz."

SFBG How did you end up in the U.S.?

Funky C I have family here and came here to play with my old band, Los Tetas. But I always wanted to come here to live. In 2007 I released the Funky C album with L.A. label Sonic 360 and decided to move here. Then my wife and I had our baby here in San Francisco, a California girl. It's been a crazy year.

SFBG So the whole band came from Chile?

Funky C Well, I decided for myself, and they wanted to come too. And through my visa I got them visas. The drummer Pepino arrived last year. The bass player Chicho came last year, went back to Chile, and got back just in time for our show at the Fillmore last week. The only one who's not here is the keyboard player. We're missing one of our characters in the band, and I miss him a lot.

Continue reading "SCENE: Funky C tears the roof off" »

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Posted by SFBG at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

Keep your ears open for the sound of rolling thunder, and your heart dilated with the music of yesterday and tomorrow. Today? Well, here’s some of the musical worthiness coming down the pike right about now.

Mark Eitzel and Victor Krummenacher
Singles going steady? The American Music Clubber meets up with his Camper/Monk chum, who flies solo. Thurs/24, 8 p.m., $12-$15. Red Devil Lounge, 1695 Polk, SF. (415) 921-1695.

Hammer
He won’t hurt you -- though his parachute pants could cause damage. With Whodini. Fri/25, 8 p.m., $45.75-$65.75. Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph, Oakl. www.apeconcerts.com

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Hammer, Indian Jewelry, Rain Machine, MV and EE, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 04:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

Oh, yes, SF -- you like it hot. And you got the sounds to send off the Indian Summer in a proper freaky styley. Here are the worthies that didn’t fit in print.

Alan Braxe
The French dance pop maestro, a.k.a., Stardust, gets out from behind the remix. With One Man Party and Bad Neighbors. Sat/17, 9 p.m. doors, $12-$15. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. (415) 820-9669.

Chairlift
Electropop loveliness from Brooklyn, exploding exponentially since its last liftoff in SF, thanks to an iPod commercial. With Magic Bullets and El Ten Eleven. Thurs/17, 9 p.m., $15. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: David Cross, Little Boots, Titus Andronicus, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 06:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros - "40 Day Dream"

By Kimberly Chun

Strap yourself in for more musical thunder as San Fran girds itself for fall - here’s more of what floats the city’s boat.

Glitter Wizard
Wah-wah wow. Hard rock meets glamazon psych in the paws of the SF-Oakland combo. Sat/12, 9:30 p.m., $6. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.

The Honey Brothers
Adrian Grenier of Entourage yucks it up from behind the kit. With Soko and His Orchestra. Sat/12, 9 p.m., $15. Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1422.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Edward Sharpe, Vieux Farka Toure, Chris Garneau, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Text and photos by Ariel Soto

Donning matching black and white outfits, the Jonesin' duo bounced around the stage, singing old Dolly Parton covers and also their own lyrics, that sometimes focus on aliens, their amour, roller skates, and the foggy city we all call home. Their music is totally bubbly and funky with just a hint of country and irony. With only their mikes and a boom box for back-up , these two belted it out at Hemlock Tavern for their official Hi, We're Jonesin' (Telemarketer's Worst Nightmare) record release party and as a send-off for their around the country tour, which includes stops in Kansas, Mississippi and Texas, too.

Continue reading "Live Shots: Jonesin' and the Sandwitches at Hemlock Tavern, 9/3/09" »

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Posted by SFBG at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

By Johnny Ray Huston

24-CARAT BLACK

Gone: The Promises of Yesterday

(Numero Group)

The title here rings all too true: 24-Carat Black is a memento of all that soul music could have been, had economic woes not killed its most ambitious tendrils. This dozen-plus ensemble's unfinished sequel to 1975's oft-sampled Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth (Stax) is just as conceptual, but more downtempo. "The Best of Good Love Gone" is Dusty in the ghetto instead of a satin Memphis boudoir. "I Want to Make Up" does a slow burn then floats off in the nighttime breeze.

24-Carat Black, "The Best of Good Love Gone"

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Posted by SFBG at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Johnny Ray Huston

AIR FRANCE

No Way Down EP

(Sincerely Yours)

With the Honeydrips, Tough Alliance, jj, and this group, the Sincerely Yours label has established itself as Sweden's chief castle of indie pop. "Collapsing at Your Doorstep" and "No Excuses" could be outtakes from Saint Etienne's Foxbase Alpha (Heavenly, 1991), and ain't nothing wrong with that.

Air France, "No Excuses"

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Posted by SFBG at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Marke B.

THE XX

The xx

(Young Turks)

A sublime entanglement of negative space, lithesome riffs, and raw sentiment delivered by mush-mouthed lead vocalists Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sims, this xx-cellent debut by the young rock quartet gleams the post-everything cube. Tracks "Basic Space," "Islands," and "Crystallized" could be the anthems of a less-virtual, more physical generation of emotional wonderers -- even as the instrumentation and weird engagement-through-detachment mood hearkens back to the early New Order. (Justin Timberlake and Tracy and the Plastics are listed as influences).

The xx, "Basic Space"

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Posted by SFBG at 01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Marke B.

I have a soft-spot in my cold, cold heart for East Bay electro-funk duo Wallpaper -- I grin at their catchy-kooky antics, and whatever wrong rub I get from the pair's unironic frat-boy sentiments ("If I wasn't me, I'd date myself") is quickly sanded off by the amount of beguiling musical ideas in their songs. I'm still working my way through my advance copy of their new Eenie Meenie LP, Doodoo Face (see what I mean about the level of humor here?), and I'll have more thoughts on it before it hits stores on 9/22. For now though, here's Wallpaper's latest -- you can judge for yourself. It could be a giant statement about the loneliness of a crowded dance floor, it could just be a party jam. It's kind of both to me. Plus, they totally sample themselves.

Wallpaper, "I Got Soul, I'm So Wasted"

Wallpaper
Doodoo Face record release party
w/ HOTTUB
Sat/26, 9pm, 18+
$10 over 21/$15 under
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF.

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Posted by SFBG at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

M.I.A. All photos by Kimberly Chun.

By Kimberly Chun

Outside Lands -- here and now gone. A final dispatch from the dusty, green groves.

Sunday, Aug. 30

Keeping your expectations low is key to smorgasbord fests. Still, I expected a sparser crowd today, the day of the canceled Beastie Boys appearance due to Adam Yauch’s cancer diagnosis, and those expectations were fulfilled. There was definitely less of a mob today: not quite as many specially propped-up cleavages and fewer well-heeled, supertanned oldsters (acolytes of George Hamilton?) than yesterday. What can you say? Dave Matthews definitely skewed the demographic toward the middle-aged, if not outright white-haired.

I don’t know how gramps and grammy would have felt about the fence-jumpers, but they were definitely hopping today as well: I spied about a dozen crash over the fence en masse near the Presidio stage mid-afternoon to the sound of congratulatory whoops from bystanders on the inside. Outside a few agile types peered in at the Sutro stage from the trees on the other side of the barrier. Low-key in comparison to last year’s gang fence-vaulting.

Matt and Kim.

Continue reading "Outside Lands: Mighty M.I.A., pale Dead Weather, peppy Matt and Kim, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 05:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Kimberly Chun

Les Paul, Rashied Ali – Big Daddy Death keeps claiming another one. Goddamnit. You can find me at the bar, buried in vodka tonics, till you finally find the strength to perk up, listen to Interstellar Space again, stroke your koa-wood SG, and contemplate all the live music, still kicking all around you.

Society of Rockets and Dominique Leone
The SF psychedelicists bang noggins with the congenial local, NorCal synthesist. Thurs/13, 9 p.m., $10. Café du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. (415) 861-5016.

Solillquists of Sound
Me likee the bubbling, robo-futuristic beats of the Orlando, Fla., quartet’s new No More Heroes - and the live act is supposed to be pretty awesome, too. With 40Love and Zutra. Thurs/13, 9 p.m., $10. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Lil Wayne, Green Day, Down, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 03:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

More music – you got it, SF. Just ‘cause you’re you. Here are a few worthy shows that didn’t make the jam-packed issue. (Psst, pass the tissue.)

Clip’d Beaks
The sometime SF-ers share their latest visions. With Boys IV Men, Vice Cooler, and Emily Hoof. Wed/29, 9 p.m., $5. Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF. (415) 552-7788.

The Donkeys
Balking? The Dead Oceans combo from San Diego responds to the healing powers of Beach Boys-style harmonies. With Magnolia Electric Company, Val Esway, and El Mirage. Wed/29, 9 p.m., $12. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Bowerbirds, N.E.R.D., Themselves, Dorkfest, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

Jarvis Cocker -- an endless source of compelling ruminations. Did you ever imagine it to be any different? More from a talk with the ex-Pulp pasha (for the other choice tidbits, see this week’s Sonic Reducer), right before he was about to get on a train and embark on a holiday with his young son -- and while I was being driven very speedily through the streets of San Francisco.

SFBG: So your new record, Further Complications [(Rough Trade)] -- how was the making of it different from your first solo album [Jarvis (Rough Trade, 2007)]?

Jarvis Cocker: Well I felt fairly prepared for this record -- we played the songs to other human beings. We played them live. There were only two songs that were recorded that we hadn’t played live, so I really wanted to capture the songs.

SFBG: Are the songs particularly personal, reflect your life?

JC: They are reflective of that. I write songs about personal things and songs that I use to make sense of what’s going on in life. I use parts of my experience in them, which is kind of a dangerous thing to do. But I hope to make something that can be amusing but still have some emotional content. For me songs have to have emotional content.

Continue reading "'Further,' indeed: More from Jarvis Cocker" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 07:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Text and photos by Ariel Soto

There something incredibly nostalgic about the Indigo Girls. When I hear them I'm transported straight back to the freshman dorm room that I shared with my roomie Melbell, which was affectionately called the hippie-love room by the rest of our floor. There was a constant soundtrack of Indigo Girls and Joni Mitchell blasting from our speakers, and when we finally got to see the Indigo Girls live on campus, my girlfriends and I all braided our hair and donned colorful floral scarves around our waists.

Continue reading "Live Shots: Indigo Girls connect at the Fillmore 7/21" »

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Posted by SFBG at 03:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By Tomas Palermo. Vieux appears on Sat/18 as part of the two-night 5th Annual Afrofunk Festival at The Independent. Fri/17 features the full-blown stylish sounds of Sila and the Afrofunk Experience.

PREVIEW A torrent of questions arose amid the global mourning over Michael Jackson's sudden passing. Was he addicted to prescription pain meds? How much was he actually worth? Did his father's abuse scar the star beyond repair? Speaking of paternal influence, will 12-year-old Prince Michael Jackson follow his famous father's musical calling? If he displays even an ounce of MJ's talent, the pressure will be enormous.

A similar scenario played out in the African music world following the 2006 passing of Malian blues guitarist Ali Farka Touré from bone cancer. Farka Touré's son Vieux expressed an early interest in music, but his father objected, hoping to shelter him from a professional musician's grueling tour circuit. It didn't work. Vieux picked up the guitar, releasing a self-titled debut on Modiba/World Village in late 2006, followed by the creative, youth-embracing Remixed: UFOs Over Bamako (Modiba) in 2007. With guidance from legendary Malian kora player Toumani Diabat, the younger Touré's first two releases express a reverence for his father's emotive, blues-soaked guitar style while exploring rock and electronic music interests.

These traditional and modern threads entwine so thoroughly that they fuse on the new Fondo (Six Degrees). Vieux gives voice to swirling Saharan dust storms on the energetic "Sarama," explores Mali's quiet spirituality on "Paradise" (featuring Diabate's kora solos) and ponders West African struggles in the 21st century on the reggae-tinged "Diaraby Magni." Like his father, Vieux's music has taken him from Bamako, Mali to Bonnaroo, the massive Tennessee music festival where his American summer tour begins. As U.S. indie bands like Vampire Weekend and Fools Gold incorporate African rhythms into their repertoires, it's worth hearing a talented African guitar hero whose taste for rock isn't just skin deep, it's in his DNA.

VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ With Luke Top, DJ Jeremiah. Sat/18, 8 p.m., $20. The Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1420. www.theindependentsf.com

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Posted by SFBG at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

Entombed in SF gloom? Silly, rabbit, this is the best weather to get your musical kicks in a dark, cloudy bar.

A-Frames and Climax Golden Twins
Three guitars and a rhythm section and soaring gamelan-sludge rawk? We’re talking ‘bout the real team players, Raider Nation. With Hank IV and Fresh and Onlys. Sat/11, 9:30 p.m., $7. El Rio, 3158 Mission, SF. (415) 282-3325.

American Idols Live
Haven’t had enough? Sample A-Lam in the flesh as Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Allison Iraheta, Anoop Desai, Kris Allen, Lil Rounds, Matt Giraud, Megan Joy, Michael Sarver, and Scott MacIntyre provide. Sat/11, 7 p.m., $38.50-$66.25. Oracle Arena, 7000 Coliseum, Oakl. (415) 421-8497.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: 'American Idols,' Slumber Cats, Slayer, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Johnny Ray Huston

DESIRE

Desire

(Italians Do It Better)

Sorry, but I can't hate: Johnny Jewel's latest disco project is too lost in emotion to be dismissed as a hipster poseathon. The 1980s touches dig below irony the same way Glass Candy's cover of "Computer Love" gave that icy-by-definition track a successful heart transplant. "Don't Call" is my jam of the summer so far, not least because of its live "Beat It" rhythm.

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Posted by SFBG at 03:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

Yes, you had to work like a dog for that Fourth of July hot dog - and to get ready for the long weekend. Wasn’t it worth it? Now’s the time to get out and get into trouble.

Sir Richard Bishop and His Freak of Araby Ensemble
The Sun City Girls son and Oakland resident also rises, this time in SF, with Oaxacan as his backing ensemble, on the closing show of his tour. For more on Bishop, go to this edition of Sonic Reducer. With Oaxacan and Rubber O Cement. Fri/3, 10 p.m., $10. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.

Extreme Animals
The Pittsburgh-San Diego booty melters flaunt it at this light-show-bedazzled happening. With Nero's Day at Disneyland, Bulbs, and Teengirl Fantasy. Fri/3, 8 p.m., $6. Lobot Gallery, 1800 Campbell, Oakl. www.lobotgallery.com

Hospitals
The raging Adam Stonehouse project recently got a lotta love from UK’s Wire. With Photobooth and Baths. Fri/3, 9:30 p.m., $6. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. (415) 923-0923.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Sir Richard Bishop, Hospitals, David Dondero, Hightower, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

I’m a music lover... get me out of the house! Guess what, help has arrived - in more forms than we could fit into print.

Sugar and Gold\
The Bay dance fiends refuses to drown in their own shit. With Music for Animals and Castledoor. Thurs/25, 8 p.m., $10. Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell, SF. (415) 861-2011.

The Hunches
Knuckling down for a freaked-out, “Disease Free” frenzy, the Portland, Ore.-Bay Area garage oddballs slough into the sunset with a series of farewell shows. With Long Legged Woman and Blimp. Fri/26, 9:30 p.m., $8. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. (415) 923-0923.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Wilco, the Hunches, Chelsea Handler, Lazer Sword, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

Get out and lend an ear - it’ll be returned, perhaps changed. Here are more intriguing shows that didn’t make it to print.

Elvis Costello
Certified rock genius - up in the house! No secrets here: in true diehard music lover form, Declan MacManus gives back to music emporiums with his one-day “Amoeba Music Tour” performances here in the Haight and then at Amoeba Hollywood. Expect him to play acoustic versions of tunes from his new Secret, Profane and Sugarcane (Hear Music) alongside Jim Lauderdale, and to sign copies of the CD (copies purchased at Amoeba come with a poster silkscreened for the event). Mon/22, noon, free. Amoeba Music, 1855 Haight, SF. (415) 831-1200.

Nihlotep performing Mosaic and studio clip

Nihlotep
Drink in the unearthly screeches and high-drama doom metal sturm und drang from the San Jose group. With Vesterian and Condemned to Live. Tues/23, 9 p.m., $6. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.

Starfucker
The Portland, Ore., combo with the oh-so-naughty moniker has somewhat innocuous origins: Josh Hodges started out with just a borrowed drum set, loop pedal, and a mic - one-off, one-man entertainment for a house party. Now, with the addition of three bandmates, Starfucker is busy reproducing the 8-bit electro pop-dance punk off its mini-album, Jupiter (Badman).
With Atole and White Cloud. Tues/23, 9 p.m., $10. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. (415) 621-4455.

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Juan, two, three: the Juan Maclean. Photo by Troy Bayless.

By Kimberly Chun

Impressionistic sketches, hazy watercolor memories of the way I listened last week, before the veil of forgetfulness falls.

Dang, I wish I had a proper camera in hand to get my shutterbug on at Peaches. The lady wasn't going to let a little vault fire get in the way of her Grand Ballroom performance on June 5: she remains one of the most riveting performers to come out of electroclash on a sheer show-womanship level, and now that she has her live band, the Herms, complete with a leggy, black corseted blond guitar player who obligingly shimmies along to the boss lady's "Shake your tits, shake your dick," she's pretty unstoppable. Essentially - no lie - everyone in the room could not tear their eyes away from Peaches' ever-shifting spectacle, even if Vault Fire II broke out in the next room.

One-man UK opener Drums of Death made me consider suicide, but Peaches made up for it with a bout of crowd-surfing, a romp at the outer edge of the balcony, a slew of impressive costume changes (she poked fun at herself by coming out onstage in a robe at one point), and plenty of brain-teasing visuals, including a video-projected duet with Shunda K of Yo Majesty for "Billionaire" and a dance with super-shaggy Cousin-Its to the tune of "Talk to Me."

The next night, June 6, saw Stockholm's Axel Willner, otherwise known as the Field, hunkered down behind the decks at Mezzanine, opening for the Juan Maclean. Love the dreamy new long-player, though the show drew more from a minimalist techno vein, with assists from Dan Enqvist and Andreas Soderstrom. Still, it was mesmerizing - especially accompanied by video art that spliced images of shipping containers stacks with book piles. I stayed for just a dab of the Juan Maclean, who rocked the Human League-y robotic-pop vibe with mucho energy. Kudos to those who can pull off a nice, big Romulan shoulder pad - I'm scouring the thrift stores for mine soon. The kids were dancing as I departed amid complaints of pop monotony from companion Prof. Fluffy.

Continue reading "Show Diary: Neko Case/Jason Lytle, Peaches, Juan McLean/the Field, Telepathe, Handsome Furs, Au Revoir Simone" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The true masters never go away, but there's no denying that Serge Gainsbourg is experiencing a posthumous resurgence of late, one that rivals his Gitane-perfumed popularity in the mid-1990s. This go-round, the emphasis is on Out moments more than pop tracks. Here's a Playlist guide to the latest touchstones.

Serge Gainsbourg, "Aux Armes ... "

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Aux armes et cætera

(Universal, 1979; 4 Men With Beards, 2009)

Gainsbourg went to Jamaica in the late 1970s and made a full-on reggae record. It's not a novelty at all — in fact, it might be my favorite record of his. Its sizzling, simmering, summertime sound is about as sultry and seductive as any record could dream to be. The equivalent of sinking deep into warm sand and never wanting to wash it off. (Irwin Swirnoff)

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Cannabis

(Philips, 1970; Philips vinyl, 2008)

Saint Etienne kicked off its peerless 2004 contribution to the mix series The Trip with the glam title number of this motion picture soundtrack. The overall album is a rangy delight, benefiting from the fact that it isn't as strictly conceived as some of Gainsbourg's other recordings. Highlights include punky blues struts, symphonic hints of his work with Jean-Claude Vannier, tablas-based rhythmic walkabouts, and the occasional soft-core duet between a humming femme and an organ — by which I mean a Hammond keyboard, silly. (Johnny Ray Huston)

-----------

Histoire de Melody Nelson

(Philips, 1971; Light in The Attic, 2009)

Why it's taken Melody nearly 40 years to get a domestic release remains a mystery, since everyone from Massive Attack to Beck to Portishead has borrowed from it in some way. A perverse tale of forbidden love and tragic death, it is not only Gainsbourg's finest studio concept, but an epic collaboration of rock band and orchestra. Its combination of doom-laden bass progressions, sinewy acid guitar, and soaring strings remains unparalleled in terms of exquisite execution. (Scott Hewicker)

Continue reading "Our guide to the Serge Gainsbourg resurgence" »

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Posted by Marke B. at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Max Goldberg

Just Dando

For a brief time in the early 1990s, Evan Dando was an It boy. He wore great jeans and hid behind his hair — the shaggy pop songs didn't hurt either. His band, the Lemonheads, coasted to success with an easy cover of "Mrs. Robinson," and then Atlantic took a bath on Come On Feel the Lemonheads (Atlantic, 1993), an album that's likely still haunting remainder bins. These are the facts, but the melodies that snag your adolescence are destined to boggle any attempt at objectivity.

I still remember picking It's a Shame About the Ray (Atlantic, 1992) off the rack after spotting it in an older friend's collection — I must have been 11 or 12. Soon, I went the extra mile for a couple of bootleg cassettes I then listened to in ritualistic isolation. In Dando, I heard the sympathetic reticence of a dropout. I beached my shyness on his languid refrains; he was good company. I wouldn't say I wanted to trade places (Ben Lee took up this mantle on "I Wish I Was Him"), but the Lemonheads furnished my imagination with yearning and ennui — sensing those things without knowing them was sublime. I loved the band for coming from Boston; their stoned melodies padded the lonely stretches of Memorial Drive and sandy dunes of Cape Cod where I moved into my feelings. Nearly all Lemonheads songs are letters, and I imagined I too would come to know a "you."

Trying to sort out how memory imprints my continued weakness for these melodies would require a novel rather than a capsule review, but I like to think the Lemonheads albums still hold up because I wouldn't have had it any other way. I don't put them on very often, but I can easily lose a whole afternoon when I do.

THE LEMONHEADS With Kim Vermillion. Wed/10, 8 p.m., $21. Slim's, 333 11th St, SF (415) 255-0333. www.slims-sf.com

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Posted by SFBG at 12:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Marke B.

You may be worn out by indie dance acts that have "glass" in their name -- as well as those with "crystal," "soundsystem," and any kind of cute furry animal -- but the UK's The Glass have just released a summer anthem, about dancing outside in summer, that deserves to be as big as I hope it will be. The video is bananas good as well.

The Glass, "Wanna Be Dancin'"

Could that buried "It Takes Two" sample in the chorus be any more delicious? There's a killer mix of this track by one of my favorite, unfortunately overlooked, bands of 2k8, Clubfeet -- available at Beatport. I recommend downloading it and blissing out in the park, toute suite

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Posted by SFBG at 07:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

Modesto, your Jason Lytle is truly a pleasure to chat with. Here’s more of an interview with the disarmingly honest, down-to-earth ex-Grandaddy songwriter, now touring with his first solo album, Yours Truly, the Commuter (for the rest of the talk, see this week’s Sonic Reducer). Lytle headlines at Café du Nord June 8 and opens for Neko Case at the Warfield June 9.

SFBG: So right now you’re multitasking, printing out flight info for your tour. Is flying an issue for you? I’m just looking at the crashed plane in the artwork for Yours Truly, the Commuter.

Jason Lytle: Ummm, I’m actually OK with flying – I’m a lot better with flying than a lot of people I know. I guess if you’re looking at the artwork - I do have a problem with airplanes landing in my front yard.

Continue reading "Not lost: More from Jason Lytle, uncovered in Montana" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

This in from the folks at Great American Music Hall - so put those "Jean Genie" moves in the hopper till August. (And boy, I'm curious about how often these underground electrical vault fires happen! The answer: The last one was in 2005, according to the local CBS affiliate.)

"Unfortunately, tonight's BOWIE BALL at GAMH has been CANCELLED due to an underground electrical vault fire on Polk & O'Farrell St. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience - bummer!!!

"HOWEVER, we are glad to report that the date is rescheduled for Friday, August 14 - original tickets will be honored (or refunds are available at place of purchase until 2pm on Aug. 14).

"This event will be super fun, so please come down on Aug. 14 and show your support! This is our chance to celebrate EVERYTHING Bowie. All in one night. (Tix at www.gamhtickets.com or in person at Slim's or GAMH M-F 10:30-6.)"

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The grey can stay – it is, after all, summer in fog city – but you know you gotta get out. Leave home and get an earful of inspiration at, hey, maybe these worthwhile shows.

Parson Red Heads
The cute-as-a-button LA combo polishes up Cali folk rock for every parson, be it the preacher or Gram. With Cotton Jones. Tues/2, 8 p.m., $10. Cafe Du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.

Rosewood Thieves
Going their way? The New York indie rockers are California dreaming and in love with the sun. With Mississippi Man and Lemon Sun. Wed/3, 9 p.m., $7. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: BFD, Wale, Handsome Furs, Holy Fuck, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Text and photos by Ariel Soto

I remember the first time I watched Flight of the Conchords on TV. I was at my friend's house, people were drinking beer and a pet rat was running back and forth across the wood floor. The Conchords' humor is weird, dry and their New Zealand accents just add to the hilarity. Now the band members, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, are beyond famous, with hordes of adoring fans, some of which were lucky enough to cram into the Berkeley Community Theater on Monday, May 25th, 2009, to see the last show of their US tour. Comedian Arj Barker started the evening off with some great laughs that covered everything from the weakness of Blue Shield's health insurance to the exorbitant price of crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Then, clad in ridiculous carboard and tinfoil space costumes, the Conchords started the concert with the iconic "Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor" that had the audience in a state of hysteria. There's something genuine about the Conchords' lyrics like "Business Time" where they sing about getting it on once a week after sorting the recycling, to pieces that raise awareness about epileptic dogs. But then again, Bret and Jermaine are superstars now and every girl (and probably some dudes too) just couldn't seem to take their eyes off the Conchords' two sets of sugarlumps.

Continue reading "Live Shots: Flight of the Conchords" »

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Posted by SFBG at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

Could it be any prettier, any more delicately dewy, any more enticing, out there in this stone-beauty by the Bay? And when the sun goes down, you must go out to play - or watch others play. More worth-while sights, sighs, and sounds for you, more than could fit in print.

Steve Earle
Far from Nashville and an outlaw and songwriter-activist born a little too late, Steve Earle is rattling the chains of his past and looking back on the music of his late brilliant and damaged mentor Townes Van Zandt with the new Townes (New West). Thurs/14, 6 p.m., free. Amoeba Music, 1855 Haight, SF. (415) 831-1200.

Loney Dear
Dudes, make up your mind - comma or no comma? Ah, hell, none of it matters when the Loneys wash those sad-and-lonelies away with their sweet indie-rock melodicism. With Headlights and Audio Out Send. Fri/15, 10 p.m., $10. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Dead Meadow, Steve Earle, Fracas, Loney Dear, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By Johnny Ray Huston

CHELONIS R. JONES

Chatterton

(Systematic)

The U.S. expat Mr. Jones sews up album of the year honors by track one, after jogging barefoot through hell to conclude "Stains are my nationality." As kickoffs go, it's as dramatic as the The Queen is Dead's title track — apt, since he name-checks Morrissey. From there, Chatterton traverses Cure-like goth, Marley Marl-ready rap, contemporary Euro techno ... and Fleetwood Mac? "The Cockpit" is a Cabaret Voltaire-meets-Giorgio Moroder minimal epic from the perspective of a plane crash's ungrateful sole survivor. The final lines of "Pompadour" are genius.

An oldie but goodie from Mr. Jones


View the previous Snap Sound here.

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Posted by SFBG at 03:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Text and photos by Ariel Soto. Read Marke B.'s take on Boy in Static's single "Young San Francisco" here

Alexander Chen

Newish to the San Francisco music scene, Boy in Static already has a fledgling following. Only one of the duo could make it, but Bottom of the Hill on Wednesday, May 6, Alexander Chen used everything from a violin, ankle bells and a toy piano to play pieces that expressed both joy and melancholy.

Continue reading "Live Shots: Boy in Static celebrates sweet suspicion" »

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Posted by SFBG at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

Talk about an unrelenting burst of creativity: San Francisco indie rock band Loquat will be going for broke with its May residency at Cafe du Nord. Vocalist-guitarist Kylee Swenson told me the group is attempting to make each show special, with visuals arranged by the mysterious Kernel Panic, special guests like Raul Sanchez of Penny Arcade, and special DJs like Ted of BAGel Radio. “I just hope it works!” she said by phone. “It could be a total disaster!” As we spoke, Loquat was still tweaking the blend of performers and stage sets.

The group hasn't been slacking on working on music, either: it has 20 songs written for its next full-length - though don't expect Loquat to share its latest tunes yet. "We’re still in the incubator stage," Swenson explained.

Continue reading "Whole lotta Loquat: the SF indie rockers kick off their du Nord residency Thursday" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 05:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Babes in Ty land: Ty Segall messes with ya as part of Total Trash Weekend.

By Kimberly Chun

Bay rap vets and raucous rock sprats - it all goes splat this week. I'm guessing you'll find plenty of trouble to get into - and musical artistry to appreciate - when you're not busy downing scrump-dilly-icious (and cheap!) pastor tacos at the Gallo Giro taco truck at 23rd and Treat.

Goapele
Oakland's own draws the curtain on new music: check her site for the spanking, sinuous "Milk + Honey." With Cody Chestnutt. Fri/1, 9 p.m., $27. Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1422.

Zion-I
This is the weekend Bay hip-hop stages The TakeOver. The local twosome takes it to another level in honor of its new long-player. With Kev Choice Ensemble and Trackademicks and the Honor Roll. Fri/1, 9 p.m., $19-$23. Slim's, 333 11th St., SF. (415) 522-0333.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Paris, Total Trash Weekend, Garrett Pierce, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 01:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Johnny Ray Huston

RUBIES

Explode from Center

(Telle)

The Norway-to-our-Bay connection is strong in this group, which bridges Bergen and San Francisco. No cosmic disco, though: Simone Rubi plays chanteuse over pop arrangements. The result never reaches the Cardigans' sublimity, but it matches the warmth of Lois and Marine Girls.

Rubies, "I Feel Electric"

Rubies play Sunday, June 14 at The Independent

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Posted by SFBG at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Ari Messer

In the era of Slow Food in the City of Fog, I wonder why more people don't slow down for a second and get out to taste some local music. Think about the last time you were willing to fork over more than a fiver for some local talent. Seriously. San Franciscans sometimes seem fonder and more aware of what the Bay Area attracts than of what it produces. Jimmy Sweetwater is out to change that. Sweetwater is the rare breed of promoter who is also a musician — he plays a mean harmonica and a dirty washboard. He has been giving his all to keep his series of local music going in a town drawn to touring bands. Sweetwater, a historian of Mission District music from the past 20 years, has put on five shows at the Great American Music Hall, four at Slim's, and one at Cafe du Nord. According to Sweetwater, club staff has largely been supportive, but it's a struggle to fill venues in these times of financial woe. "There's a ton of local talent that never gets to play the big clubs," he says, noting that he tries "to combine different kinds of music in one night." All-local nights and combinations of different genres — these aren't traditional strategies, but the Bay Area is the perfect place to unleash them.

This weekend sees a diverse Jimmy Sweetwater Presents lineup at the Red Devil Lounge, including the high-speed-Calexico-like Diego's Umbrella, honkeytonkers 77 El Deora, the East Bay's Ben Benkert, and the Mission Three, a group including Sweetwater that will play a number of tunes by the Band, even one of my favorite (and rarer) Band joints, "Acadian Driftwood." Sweetwater always seems to be doing a thousand things at once. It's all for the love of song in this songlike town.

JIMMY SWEETWATER PRESENTS: DIEGO'S UMBRELLA, BEN BENKERT, 77 EL DEORA, AND THE MISSION THREE Sat/25, 9 p.m., $10. Red Devil Lounge, 1695 Polk, SF. (415) 921-1695. www.myspace.com/jimmysweetwater

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Posted by SFBG at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Marke B.

Morrissey may have crapped out of his stint at the Paramount, Belle and Sebastian are probably off looking for 20 more band members -- and whither the classic Bluebells, I ask you?

But at least on this overcast break from yesterday's heatwave we have the 13-year-old and much overlooked Scottish popsters Camera Obscura -- no, not this camera obscura, although the music has the same ethereal shimmer -- to keep us melancholically sunny with their new, lushly orchestrated My Maudlin Career (4AD). Somehow the 11 slightly countrified gems on this release seem like the ones that got away from both Neko Case and Rough Trade ...

Camera Obscura, "French Navy"

Bonus! Bluebells (Hey, I'm in the mood for jangly Scottish maudlin today)

The Bluebells, "I'm Falling" (much better sound quality here)

What do you know? The singers look quite a bit alike ....

View the previous Snap Sound here.

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Posted by SFBG at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Take the wheel: Vivian Girls' "Tell the World."

How to destroy a weekend - or, for that matter, a weeknight? Sticky, sweaty, and sill up for fun - SF knows how it's done. Telling ya, there's so much more to see and hear than we could fit into print.

Dry Spells
Folk rock gets another angelic kick upstairs when the Bay Area band gets onstage. With Pillow Queens and Vultures. Wed/22, 9 p.m., $6. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.

The Pets
The Oaktown garage-rock threesome preps for its European journey. With International Espionage and Master Volume. Wed/22, 9 p.m., $5. Kimo's, 1351 Polk, SF. (415) 885-4535.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Vivian Girls, Ghost, Spinal Tap, How to Destroy the Universe, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 06:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Marke B.

Two recent releases, both based on the Bay by Bay favorites. The first, "Young San Francisco" by SF's Boy in Static, aka Alexander Chen and Kenji Ross, from their new album, Candy Cigarette (Fake Four Inc & Circle Into Square) is way too cute -- check out their new "East Bay to Back Bay" XLR8R podcast mix for a great listen to some more new, slightly twee West Coast indie pop (loving "To the Sea" by Portland's Mint Julep).

Boy in Static, "Young San Francisco"

The second recent track focusing on the Bay is by SF hip-hop stalwart Kero One, "Welcome to the Bay," off his sophomore disc, Early Believers (Plug Label). I really wanted to like this one more -- I've been a fan for a while, and Kero's def got the chops, working with everyone from Talib Kweli to Mark Farina -- but it seemed a tad too polished for me, despite the nice groove. Still, it's a breezy listen for a steamy day. From what I've heard of Early Believers it'll be a perfect summer BBQ collection.

Kero One, "Welcome to the Bay"

Something both of these songs have in common is a young Asian American perspective on the homebase. Kero's is especially poignant, talking about why his parents came here at a time when "words like 'chink' were teachable." Really feeling the latitude of historical perceptions coming forth in two distinct tunes.

View the previous Snap Sounds here.

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Posted by SFBG at 02:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Manic panic: Silversun Pickups' "Panic Switch."

Lucky you, you aren't broiling in the desert at Coachella - you're keeping your cool in SF, and boy, you've got a lot to keep your bad self outta trouble. So partake in the Coachella spillover - and then some...

Intelligence
"Icky Baby" is in the eye of the beholder - and the mind of the Intelligence, those hard-driving, gristly lo-fi smarty-pants. With Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall. Fri/17, 9 p.m., $8. Annie's Social Club, 917 Folsom, SF. (415) 974-1585.

Loop!Station
Loops, vocals, and cello are Robin Coomer's and Sam Bass' tools, arriving now with a new CD.
Fri/17, 8 and 10 p.m., $10. Yoshi's, 1330 Fillmore, SF. (415) 655-5600.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Silversun Pickups, Bloc Party, Atmosphere, Kylesa, free shows, and so much more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 07:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Text and photos by Ariel Soto. Devendra Banhart performs again Thu/16 at Yoshi's SF

"You're a sexy beast!" someone shouted from the crowd, as Devendra Banhart made his way onto the stage of the Independent to a sold out show, Tuesday, April 14th. After the openers, The Healing Curse, left the stage, Devendra started with an acoustic set and then later was joined by his band, serenading his fans with songs of about sweet little birds, wild wolves, and Latin love.

Continue reading "Live shots: Devendra Banhart at the Independent" »

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Posted by SFBG at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Danica Li

Late of the Pier is catchy while still retaining an essential core of flighty, fidgety weirdness. With its askew harmonics, squelchy synths, and wildly off-key vocals, Fantasy Black Channel (Parlophone, 2008) marks the big label debut of a band bent on peddling an oddball sound to the masses, to say nothing of a kitschy aesthetic. The album's cover presents a haphazard assortment of drums, kits, cords, and keyboards scattered atop outcroppings of granite — an apt visual for the band's chaotic approach. Some tracks suggest a recorder switched to on-mode at the site of a train wreck, while others rescue some order from the mayhem. Discerning musical adherents will peg the group as contemporaries of outfits like Metronomy, Hot Chip, and Klaxons. This quartet is inventive and almost extreme in how far they're willing to take their sprawling multipart sagas, instrumental transitions and elaborate glam guitar breakdowns. Plain-jane indie rock outfits have nothing on them.

Continue reading "Late of the Pier jump askew at Popscene" »

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Posted by SFBG at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two quick takes on Junior Boys, who perform tomorrow with Max Tundra at Bimbo's (Thu/16, 7 p.m., $18. Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, SF. www.bimbos365club.com)

Junior Boys

Begone Dull Care

(Domino)

Johnny Ray Huston:
The knives are out at least a little for the critics' darling duo, and to be fair, this third full-length falters a bit in following the breakthrough of 2007's So This is Goodbye. But "Work" might be Junior Boys' best composition, and "Sneak a Picture" is simply sweet. A reward for those who care enough to dig: the title and lyrics braid through the life and work of Canadian animator Norman McLaren.

Junior Boys, "Work" live

Continue reading "Snap Sounds: Junior Boys" »

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Posted by SFBG at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Johnny Ray Huston

Stereo
Somewhere in the Night
(Minimal Wave 2008/ Carrere 1982)

"She's gotta be there, as you walk in the dark
Number four, at your door, number four
You're ost in the heaze, she's gotta be there...
Somewhere in the night"

1980s duo Stereo's criss-cross sunglasses put Kanye's Venetian shades to shame. Minimal Wave delivers once again with this synth jam gem. I'm on the lookout for another recent Minimal Wave release, a vinyl-only collection by Linear Movement. But Stereo -- not to be confused with Kompakt figurehead Wolfgang Voigt's early recording project of the same name -- has surprising songwriting chops. My fave track might be "Nowhere in the Island," which uses the echo vocal effect so beloved by circa-1983 new romantic acts to great effect. It includes saxophone and yet still has a potent air of melancholy. I wonder if these two French guys every rubbed pointy shoulders with Bernard Fevre of Black Devil Disco Club.

Stereo, "Somewhere in the Night"

Stereo, "No More"

Check out the previous Snap Sound here.

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Posted by SFBG at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Johnny Ray Huston

Lô Borges
Lô Borges and Nuvem Cigana
(EMI Brasil)

It took me too long to realize all my favorite tracks on 1972's classic Clube de Esquina are written by Lô. The cover of Lô's debut album is perfection, and I am completely in love with Nuvem Cigana's "A força do vento," "Uma canção," "Viver viver," and O vento não me levou."

What do you know about Lô? I'd love to read more perspectives about him and his music. He releases recordings at roughly the same pace as Scott Walker. That alone is enough to intrigue me in an era of talking loud and saying nothing, but the tunes are terrific and his voice has a true sweetness to it.

Lô Borges, Clube da Esquina, "Ao Vivo"

Continue reading "Snap Sounds: Lô Borges" »

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Posted by SFBG at 05:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brooklyn cheer: Japanther's "Challenge."

"Rising above the smoke and debris" - yes, we can. More to do, see, and hear...

Undebateable: Eef Barzelay's "I Love the Unknown."

Clem Snide
Hungry Bird (429), the latest release by the Boston-born band, almost succeeded in killing Clem Snide. Yet Eef Barzelay carries forth - sweet Snide 'tude in hand - alongside Brendan Fitzpatrick and Ben Martin. With the Heligoats and Pepi Ginsberg. Wed/8, 9 p.m., $10-$12. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.

Love X Nowhere
Immaculate shoegaze and anthemic pop stream from the SF fivesome's new self-released High Score Blackout. With Headlights and the Love Language. Thurs/9, 9 p.m., $10. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Brit, Devendra, Japanther, Fleet Foxes, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimberly Chun

Who is the shy girl casting her eyes downward on the cover of Little Hells (Kemado)? Here in Hell, Marissa Nadler could be a damsel who has tumbled from a frayed tapestry in search of her unicorn, a crystal doll who has escaped from her vitrine, or a tubercular maid who has slipped out of her Victorian deathbed photograph to traipse this earthly plane. She's the dark, downbeat cousin of the enormous-eyed cameo cutie gracing The Saga of Mayflower May (Eclipse, 2005), the sunlit warbler singing in the lawn at the first Arthur Fest, and the whimsical Rhode Island School of Design-educated artist I spoke to around the time of Songs III: Bird on the Water (Kemado, 2007).

With her fourth full-length, Nadler enters a new, more synthetic, and increasingly richer musical realm than that on her previous recordings — one outfitted with its own exquisite troubles and terrors. The almost imperceptibly swooping faux strings that strafe "Heart Paper Lover" sound like tiny planes dive-bombing a cruel sweetheart. The goth muses slumbering within Nadler's out-folk also come to light, blinking: one imagines Mary Shelley waking to find herself in Frankenstein's grave-dirt-encrusted shoes on the harpsichord-strewn, almost Sisters of Mercy-like "Mary Comes Alive." Still, Nadler's voice has never sounded so fine — catching itself on miniscule beads of longing on "Rosary" and fading, delicately detuned, like a dying darling on "Ghosts and Lovers."

MARISSA NADLER With Eric Shea. Wed/8, 9:30 p.m., $10-$12. Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016, www.cafedunord.com

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Posted by SFBG at 12:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

San Francisco just can't, just won't stop. More musical - and comedic - worthies than one can jam into print.

The Get Up Kids
These lesser-known monsters of emo, progenitors of punk-pop, are back. With Approach. Thurs/2, 8 p.m., $26-$29. Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell, SF. (415) 885-0750.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Snoop Dogg, Eugene Mirman, Jeremy Jay, Skin Horse, and so much more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 02:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Woof! Har Mar Superstar's "DUI."

You're stormy, San Francisco - yet you still partay like no other city. Here's even more worthy music - more than we could squeeze into print.

Har Mar Superstar
Sean Tillmann, Sean Na Na - hey whatever your name is: we know you got the stuff to write songs for the Cheetah Girls. With the New Trust and the Limousines. Wed/5, 8 p.m., $12. Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell, SF. (415) 861-2011.

M. Ward
She and Him? No, him! The former South Bay teacher has made a pretty swell name for himself - though I'd love from him to break out of his Hold Time (Merge) shell.
Wed/5, 8 p.m., $29.50. Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon, SF. (415) 563-6504.

Color me evocative: Christopher Willits' "Colors Shifting."

Ghostly International Live
Michna, Tycho, Christopher Willits, and other phantoms party like it’s the label’s 10-year anniversary. With the Sight Below, Lusine, Kate Simko, Deru, and Eliot L. Fri/6, 10 p.m. doors, $15-$20. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. (415) 820-9669.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Ghostly, M. Ward, Har Mar Superstar, and so much more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Western Add mad: A.C. Newman.

By L.C. Mason

There was no brooding or angst at the sold-out A.C. Newman and Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele gig at the Independent Saturday night, Feb. 28.

Bathed in reds, pinks, and yellows evocative of the breezy, sun-and-sand-filled love romps his music brings to mind, Dent May and his band of jaunty, falsetto-wielding cohorts took the audience to a place far from their hardened city lives. Seamless harmonies, maraca shakes, and gentle ukulele strums dovetailed at the warm, bursting heart of the Mississippi native’s throwback sound.

Continue reading "Noise Pop: A.C. Newman, Dent May banish jadedness at the Independent" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LONEY DEAR
Dear John
(Polyvinyl)

By Todd Lavoie

Can a simple punctuation change make such a big difference? Serious business for the wordsmiths and grammarians of the world, but I'd reckon maybe also for Emil Svanängen, the sweet falsetto behind the Loney Dear moniker. Up until recently, the Swedish vocalist had been known for two things in particular: sunshine-kissed happy-pop and a clunky ol' comma dropped thud-like in the middle of his alias.

Alas, Loney, Dear is no more - having bid b-bye to that pesky punctuation mark, he also seems to have reined in the giddiness quite a bit, as documented on his latest, Dear John. Intended as “the final piece in a five-album puzzle,” the disc offers considerably more melancholia than before, along with a cleaner, more intimate production.

Continue reading "Are you Loney Dear? The Swedish band takes a ride into the darkness" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 08:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Danica Li

For the past decade and a half, Matthew J. Tow has had a slew of musical projects bubbling on the back burner. Aussie rock outfit Drop City, formed by Tow in 1993, is probably the band for which Tow is most widely known for fronting. A series of solo forays followed. Under the moniker Colorsound, Tow produced a half dozen albums over a decade before the psychedelic rockers of the Brian Jonestown Massacre co-opted Tow for the better part of a three-month tour.

When Tow formed the Lovetones in 2002, and released its debut, Be What You Want (Bomp!), he was immediately - and perhaps hyperbolically - hailed an apostle of David Bowie, Ray Davies, and Lennon and McCartney by bigwig media outlets like Rolling Stone. Originally described as a side project, but now presumed to be Tow's primary occupation, the Lovetones return in style with Dimensions, a medley of hypnotic pscyh rock, byzantine instrumental detours, and '60s-era balladry.

Continue reading "Psyched-ya mysticism: the Lovetones hit the spit with 'Dimensions'" »

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Posted by SFBG at 09:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dippin' dots: Thao at Swedish American Hall. All photos by Ariel Soto.

By Ariel Soto

Her dress was pink with black polka dots, and she got it just for us. Thao Nguyen only had one dress, and she had already worn that one on the cover of the Guardian last week and figured we'd all remember it, so Nguyen went out and got a new dress for her sold-out show on Feb. 26 at the Swedish American Music Hall. We all screamed and hollered and clapped like ridiculous school children, giddy beyond control as our rock star sung song after song of irresistible, delicious hyper-goodness. We'll never forget that night and that perfect little dress.

Continue reading "Noise Pop: Giddy with Thao Nguyen at Swedish American Hall" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Wailin': Antony and the Johnsons at the Masonic. All photos by Ariel Soto.

By Ariel Soto

Antony and the Johnsons performed at Nob Hill Masonic Center on Feb. 24, the first night of the Noise Pop music festival. The stage was lit by nothing more than seemingly soft candle light. The audience grew ever so quiet as Antony began to play the piano, his voice stretching and weaving throughout the auditorium. Between songs, he spoke about how he felt to be back in San Francisco, remembering the days when he used to panhandle down near Union Square.

Times have obviously changed: instead of shivvering in the cold, he's now playing to packed concert halls full of adoring fans. Antony is the star of the band, but it's obvious that he's rather shy, dipping behind shadows, letting the audience just barely get a glimpse of that luscious black hair.

Continue reading "Noise Pop: Antony and the Johnsons emerge from the shadows" »

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Posted by SFBG at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There’s a lot more to Thao Nguyen of Thao with the Get Down Stay Down than meets the eye: watermelons, missing cowboy boots, wash-and-fold duties, and missing mini-vans. Here’s more of a talk with her; for the rest of this interview, go here. Nguyen performs as part of Noise Pop ‘09 on Feb. 26.

SFBG: You just got back from Portland? How’s the recording of the new album going?

Thao Nguyen: It’s a pretty slow process. Everything has to be of a higher standard than you’re used to. With our producer, he’s really into details. It’s still Tucker [Martine, who recorded We Brave Bee Stings and All (Kill Rock Stars)]. He’s awesome. He has an incredible ear and has higher standards than I’m used to. He’s always asking me for more.

Continue reading "Noise Pop: Take two with Thao - the SF singer-songwriter on watermelons, crazy Eights, and the 'burbs" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LATE OF THE PIER
Fantasy Black Channel
(Astralwerks)

By Todd Lavoie

Given the manic pulsations emanating from this English indie-electro quartet, I suppose it's only appropriate that Late of the Pier's ascent from teenage obscurity to darlings of the British music press would be swift and twitching with drama. Formed in 2004, when all four members were only 16 or 17 years of age, the group released its first single on an independent label in March 2007 - the hype machine began tossing superlatives almost immediately thereafter. From there, a couple of additional singles followed - and the accompanying hyperbole from the press seemed to compound exponentially.

By the autumn of last year, their debut, Fantasy Black Channel - which includes some of their previously issued singles - found a major-label release in Britain (on Parlophone/EMI), preceded of course by a level of advance buzz that almost always dooms the poor coveted object to eventual disappointment. Now, several months later, the disc has finally seen a domestic release; only time will tell whether the famously excitable Brit press will stick with these guys long enough to respond to their next move, but in the meantime, a valid question persists - was the hype merited?

Continue reading "Too late for UK band Late of the Pier?" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Surfin' bird: Andrew Bird. All photos by Ariel Soto.

By Ariel Soto

Last night, Feb. 19, the Fillmore turned itself into a fantasy fairyland filled with gentle creatures as the sweet, whistling Andrew Bird and endearing Loney, Dear took the stage. Loney, Dear, a band from Scandinavia, was able to get the crowd to sing along and even harmonize, as they strummed their guitars and tapped the piano keys, creating an incredibly lovely and mellow sound. Headliner Andrew Bird removed his shoes as soon as he got onstage, fiddled like a mad man, and kept the audience wistfully engaged for every song. If only I had known to wear my snow white dress...

ANDREW BIRD
With Loney, Dear
Fri/20, 9 p.m., $32.50
Fillmore
1805 Geary, SF
(415) 346-6000

Continue reading "Fiddling around: Andrew Bird and Loney, Dear at Fillmore" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 07:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Pop rocks: Tainted Love at Bimbo's 365 Club. All photos by Ariel Soto.

By Ariel Soto

A spandex- and leg warmer-clad audience rocked out to Tainted Love's sold-out show at Bimbo's 365 Club Feb. 13. The '80s cover band, which also performed the following night on Feb. 14, did a run through of everything from "Rock the Casbah" to "Like a Virgin," while the enthusiastic crowd sang and jumped along to every tune. Vocalists Brett and Chad Roman added their own twist to each classic song while continuing to inject an '80s flair, and guitarist Franklin Vasquez put his heart and soul - and sweat - into every move he made. All and all, a perfect night of neon and pop jams.

Continue reading "Eighties obsession bubbles up at Tainted Love" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 09:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

By L.C. Mason

I’m willing to bet that on a wall somewhere in this city of ours there’s a message emblazoned in loopy, florid handwriting purring, “For a good time, call Scissors for Lefty," because there is nothing about their exuberant, glammed-up indie sound that suggests otherwise. The San Franciscan group’s newest self-released EP, Consumption Junction (Pepper Street Music), evokes a night-is-young idealism that speaks to the party kid in all of us.

The tight set of athemic, body-moving tunes opens up with “Ornamental," a song sporting a giant, lung-busting chorus interspersed with ennui-tinged lead vocals by Bryan Garza and bullet-train drums. “Long Distant Love” sounds like the Cure drank a whole lotta Love Potion Number 9 and highlights a buoyant, Unicorns-esque keyboard melody that dips and bends to jaunty, optimistic lyrics about the pitfalls of loving someone a world away.

Continue reading "Upbeat indie: Scissors for Lefty and Vox Jaguars prowl Bottom of the Hill" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 09:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Danica Li

It's about time that the lineups for the two biggest of the bigwig music festivals on the continent, Coachella and Bonnaroo, leaked online, precipitated by a now traditional annual flurry of bizarre Internet rumors, faux photo-manipped posters, and jittery, cross-fingered posts on Stereogum. Naturally there's plenty of cross-pollination between the two, and no stunners, except that Phish hasn't played Bonnaroo ever before, where most of the bands on both lineups are religious frequenters of music festivals as well-established as South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and as far-flung as the Roskilde Festival in Denmark and Punkkelpop in Belgium.

The big names aren't so dimunitive, but then Coachella has a long and storied history of luring in bomb marquee reunions that it's struggled to live up to since the legendary Pixies jammed together onstage in 2004. Paul McCartney headlines on Friday, the Killers on Saturday, and the Cure on Sunday. My Bloody Valentine's playing on Sunday, too, while Leonard Cohen, Superchunk, Okkervil River, Morrissey, MSTRKRFT, Franz Ferdinand, Girl Talk, Crystal Castles, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Throbbing Gristle, and Lykke Li are all scheduled to play during the fest's three days of music, California sunshine, and wacky art installations.

Continue reading "Does Coachella or Bonnaroo have the better lineup?" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

By Andre Torrez

I"ve always known of her music, but a few months ago and admittedly after watching John Water’s Hairspray for the first time in its entirety, I became eerily obsessed with Lesley Gore's song "You Don't Own Me." That song is great. Almost immediately I bought one of her compilation CDs, shamelessly playing the track on repeat.

I guess there were hints of pessimism in some of those early '60s hits although they maintained their poppy playfulness (i.e., “Judy’s Turn to Cry” and “It’s My Party”). It's hard to believe Gore recorded them at the tender age of 16. Oddly enough, Quincy Jones of Thriller fame was responsible for many of her early gems - which could explain their broad appeal production-wise.

Continue reading "You don't own Lesley Gore - but you can see her at Yoshi's next week" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by Laura Peach

Give a little love and get a flamboyant and fabulous evening of cabaret-style entertainment on the night before Valentine's Day. (Yes, lonely people, I'm especially talking to you -- it's cheer up time.) The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation is holding an all-star benefit performance Monday evening bursting with cabaret, Broadway, and silver screen stars. The proceeds from "All You Need Is Love", which is hosted by the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation, will go to local non-profits like Sunburst Projects, which provides social and emotional support for families affected by AIDS. Which means your laughter and delight will be totally guilt-free as well.

Continue reading "All you need is love ... and Disney?" »

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Posted by SFBG at 07:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wanna see my 'stache: Eagles of Death Metal's "Solid Gold."

Confucius may not have approved of 1015's big ole Chinese NY beat-down - but, hey, he never really knew how to par-tay. Here's more fun schtuff that shoulda, coulda, but didn't make it to print.

Delta Spirit
Northern soul and indie rock - just the combo for the San Diego unit. With Other Lives and Dawes. Wed/4, 8:30 p.m. doors, $12. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.

Origami Ghosts
Raul Sanchez hosts the contemplative Seattle indie-rockers at his monthly semi-acoustic Penny Arcade showcase. With Eyes, Il Gato, and Floating Robot Familiar. Wed/4, 8 p.m., $7. Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St., SF. (415) 647-2888.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Social Distortion, SF Bluegrass Festival, Eagles of Death Metal, Chinese NY dance party, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 05:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Peerless pop: Social Studies at Hemlock Tavern. All photos by Jen Snyder.

By Jen Snyder

I used to have this ridiculous tendency to annually denounce everything I was into and hurl myself into a new persona. This resulted in a confusing metamorphosis from punk to hippie to goth to indie rocker to grunge fan to glam kid. It was entirely exhausting - what with all the costume changes and makeovers to my album collection. It takes a bit of growing up - and a touch of laziness - to realize that it's really those standby good friends and classic tunes that really get your heart pumping. Like Social Studies.

On Saturday, Jan. 31, I found myself praising Social Studies once again for its commitment to just plain excellent pop music. During its set at the Hemlock Tavern, the outfit revitalized my love for its 2006 release, This Is the World's Biggest Hammer, drumming out the songs perfectly. The show included all your old favorites, including the epic "Sparrow," which twists and turns for minutes without losing any of its innovation and heat.

Continue reading "In praise of pop poobahs Social Studies" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By Juliette Tang

Listening to College and Anoraak, two talented DJs involved with the French collective Valerie, is like driving back to the balmy summer of 1981 in a white Camaro convertible with the top down, a cold Tab in your hand, and a tiny silver disco ball hanging from your rearview mirror. Valerie, a group of musicians from Nantes whose dramatis personae includes acts like Russ Chimes, Minitel Rose, and The Outrunners, among others, uses retrofuturistic synthpop to evoke the magical '80s teenage years they were too young to experience.

Valerie has a very specific fantasy of the '80s, informed vaguely by John Hughes movies and V. C. Andrews novels, by images of roller rinks, drive-thru diners, Orange Juliuses, and Love's Baby Soft perfume. But rest assured that their sound isn't trying to enshrine those bygone days. Rather, by traveling back in time to the '80s [Ed Note: Or rather, back to '80s nostalgia for '70s nostalgia for the '50s], Valerie reinvents a future that was dreamed back then but which never happened, a past-modern interpretation of utopia that creates an alternative to the present -- with dancing.

In conjunction with making me want to dance like a teenager, College and Anoraak made me want to drink Malibu and pineapple like a teenager, which was the only lamentable incident that occurred last Friday at Mezzanine, where Valerie ended their US tour. The show itself was exactly what I thought it would be: lively but controlled, suffused with an easy, dance-y energy that never quite reached the point of unbridled release.

College at Mezzanine. Image credit: Franklin Wong, www.wherewolves.net

College played a wonderfully non-trancey, entirely instrumental synth set that left me wishing I was Sarah Jessica Parker in Girls Just Want To Have Fun.

Continue reading "Valerie's live end: Love's Baby Soft breezes of imagined youth" »

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Posted by Marke B. at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Andre Torrez

Both menacing and beautiful at the same time, the lush strings and the precision piano and harpischord on the Music Lovers' new album, Masculine Feminine (Le Grand Magistery), make to a sound that's rich and full enough to make Phil Spector cream his trousers.

The San Fran band definitely set a melodic mood on their latest release on the Detroit label. British-born Bay Area transplant Matthew Edwards’ haunting vocals evoke comparisons to early to mid-'70s-era Bowie with a hint of Morrissey. Musically the strings display a depth, darkness, and emotional power reminiscent of SoCal countercultural touchstone, Love. Lyrically, the songwriter and lead vocalist recalls past loved ones even giving a nod to the future with “A Girl from Space." The solidly arranged long-player doesn't disappoint.

Continue reading "Mash note for Music Lovers" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Andre Torrez

I heard the opening drums of “Going to a Go-Go” as I entered Oakland’s ornate Paramount Theatre. My friend and I arrived just a few minutes tardy, and I was agitated as she decided to go to the bathroom at the last minute. The girl lines always take longer.

So I waited in the lobby and I listened to Smokey Robinson’s opening number for what would be an iron-man two-hour performance with no support from any other acts. I paced in the hallway impatiently, eager to peer at the legendary voice of Motown from behind the velvety curtain. A calm came over me once my friend resurfaced, and we were ready to find our seats.

Thankfully the Paramount is a classy joint and they have ushers that guide you. No time wasted, we were in and I had a panoramic view from the cheap seats in the balcony of golden walls and fellow fans of Detroit soul. Down at the center of it all, there he was. A man well into his late 60s, soaking in the spotlight, wearing a white satin suit and diamond earrings that glowed even from the my vantage point. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less - after all, he is an icon.

Continue reading "When Smokey sings... at the Paramount" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Color blogged: Metronomy's "Radio Ladio."

Hey, get out! Here are a few more shows that make it worth missing - or recording - the new episodes of Lost and Battlestar Galactica.

Tippy Canoe
Let the uke revolution carry on - thanks to strummer stunners Tippy Canoe of Oakland and Anna Ash of Ann Arbor, Mich. With Antonetteg. Wed/21, 9 p.m., $6. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.


Metronomy
Creepy, conceptual electronic pop, anyone? The UK combo brings out the breakbot - just for fun - in honor of Popscene. With the Mae Shi. Thurs/22, 10 p.m., $12. Popscene, 330 Ritch, SF. (415) 902-3125.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Metronomy, Bored Stiff, Extra Action, and so much more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 06:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ALICE RUSSELL
Pot of Gold
(Six Degrees)

By Todd Lavoie

At last - an American breakthrough. English soul vocalist Alice Russell has been belting it out for quite some time now: her first solo full-length, after several initial inspired collaborations, was 2004's Under the Munka Moon (Tru Thoughts) - but somehow, scandalously, she never had an American label. Her trio of releases - the aforementioned Moon, along with 2005's My Favourite Letters and 2006's hodgepodge compilation Under the Munka Moon II (also on the British Tru Thoughts label) - weren't exactly impossible to track down stateside, but they didn't receive nearly as much attention as they perhaps would have with the support of a company on these shores.

Luckily for all concerned, this is about to change: San Francisco tastemakers Six Degrees Records recently unleashed Russell's latest, the aptly monikered Pot of Gold. And yep, all of you groove pirates, there are riches aplenty here.

Continue reading "'Crazy' 'bout Alice Russell's 'Pot of Gold'" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Let it reign: Bettye LaVette on the Who's “Love Reign O’er Me.”

This in from Bettye LaVette's people:

"Bettye LaVette is starting off 2009 with a bang by performing Sam Cooke’s revered anthem “A Change Is Gonna Come” at Barack Obama’s Inaugural Celebration kicking off at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, Jan. 18. A partial list of additional musical performers includes, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Herbie Hancock, John Legend, Usher Raymond IV, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, U2 and Stevie Wonder. Among those reading historical passages will be Jack Black, Steve Carrell, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Foxx, Tom Hanks, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah, Laura Linney and Denzel Washington.

"At the moment, 'Bettye is speechless.'

"HBO will televise the event on an open channel (Sunday, Jan. 18 live at 2:30 p.m. ET and 11:30 a.m. PT and later from 7-9 p.m. ET/PT), working with all of its distributors to allow Americans across the country with access to cable, telcos or satellite television to join in the Opening Celebration for free. It will also be streamed live on www.hbo.com. Since the actual event is free and open to the public, more than 800,000 are expected in the audience.

Continue reading "Bettye LaVette to perform at Inauguration, alongside Beyonce, U2, Mary J. Blige, Springsteen, and others" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alternate Nation statesmen: Meat Puppets.

Get out, SF - get out... and check out the music pouring the streets of Grog City.

Slough Feg and Hatchet
His majesty meets the teen metallists, thanks to Lucifer's Hammer. With Passive Aggressive. Wed/14, 9 p.m., $7. Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF. (415) 552-7788.

Devil Makes Three
Devil lovers gathered round for the band's set at Treasure Island music fest. Thurs/15, 6 p.m., free. Amoeba Music, 2455 Telegraph, Berk. (510) 549-1125.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Meat Puppets, Devil Makes Three, Jeremy Pelt, and Mo!" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mind that One Track Mind: Egyptian Lover's "Freak-A-Holic."

San Francisco stirs itself, shakes its shaggy head, and leaves home. Here are a few more reasons.

Leopold and His Fiction
The many moods of the SF indie-folk-rock combo turn toward...celebration with the unveiling of their new full-length Ain't No Surprise. Electric! With the Healing Curse and Candy Apple. Fri/9, 9:30 p.m., $6. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.

LoCura
Living la vida LoCura? That means an eye-opening blend of flamenco, rumba, reggae, and hip-hop complete with bellydane and plenty of Animas. Fri/9, 9 p.m., $15. Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, SF. (415) 885-0750.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Magic Bullets, LoCura, White Cloud, Chuchito Valdes, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 09:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Life force: Dead Science.

Another in a series of year-end picks from Bay Area musicians, writers, scene-makers, and music lovers.

MORE PICKS FROM SHOLI'S PAYAM BAVAFA AND ERIC RUUD

- Dead Science, Villianaire (Constellation)
- Deerhoof, Offend Maggie (Kill Rock Stars)
- Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
- Chief Briggum, Ambiguous Garment (self-released)
- Buildings Breeding, LP2 (self-released)
- Deerhunter, Microcastle (Kranky)
- Why?, Alopecia (Anticon)
- Beach House, Devotion (Carpark)
- Fennesz, Black Sea (Touch)
- Matmos, Supreme Balloon (Matador)
- Dodos, Visitor (French Kiss)
- What's Up, Content Imagination (Obey Your Brain)
- Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend (XL)
- Love Is Chemicals, Song of the Summer Youth Brigade (Near Earth Objects)

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The up side: Agent Ribbons.

Another in a series of year-end picks from Bay Area musicians, writers, scene-makers, and music lovers.

SMILE'S NEIL MARTINSON'S TOP 10

- Citadelle at the Knockout, Aug. 4
- Robert Forster at Great American Music Hall, Sept. 10
- Peter Hammill at Great American Music Hall, Sept. 30
- Kelley Stoltz, Circular Sounds (Sub Pop)
- The Moon Upstairs, Guarding the Golden Apple (Gifted Children)
- Various artists, Daisies soundtrack (Finders Keepers)
- Bart Davenport, Palaces (Antenna Farm)
- Lavender Diamond, www.myspace.com/lavenderdiamond
- Agent Ribbons, www.myspace.com/agentribbons
- Willow Willow, www.myspace.com/willowwillow

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Park life: Department of Eagles.

Another in a series of year-end picks from Bay Area players.

THE MORNING BENDERS' TOP 10 PICKS OF 2008

1. Department of Eagles, In Ear Park (4AD)
(and the rest in no particular order)
- Beach House, Devotion (Carpark)
- Deerhunter, Microcastle (Kranky)
- Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman, US)
- Coldplay, Viva la Vida (Capitol)

Continue reading "Deerhunter, 'Devotion': the Morning Benders weigh in with a top 10" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 03:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Michael Harkin

"Why'd they have to do the concert on this day, when they knew it'd be rainin'?" You posed a good question, Mr. Passerby. I arrived at Great American Music Hall at 11:45 a.m. on this damp, overcast Sunday morning, Dec. 22, and 150 people were already lined up around the corner from the club. Mostly teenage girls around, but lots of parents toted umbrellas and blankets - what good sports! - knowing full well that they'd be out there another seven hours with their kids before doors.

My neighbors in line had variously traveled from Stockton, Mountain View, and San Jose, willing to pay far more than the $20 door price to see Fall Out Boy that night. Their health 'neath those Decaydance hoodies wasn't quite as important as the close proximity the venue would afford them.

I can't readily provide a sufficient rationale for standing out in the rain this long, especially when the band in question is the embodiment of commercial rock's absurdity - they headlined the Honda Civic Tour last year, for heaven's sake - and regularly employ such overwrought, cumbersome song titles as "I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me and You)." That said, I like 'em anyway - hard to say why. And this beats paying 60 bucks to see them with some terrible bands at the HP Pavilion next summer, right?

Continue reading "Hardly art, hardly garbage: Fall Out Boy at Great American Music Hall" »

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Posted by SFBG at 08:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

ISOBEL CAMPBELL AND MARK LANEGAN
Sunday at Devil Dirt
(Fontana International)

By Todd Lavoie

In this week's new pop canon spread, I got a chance to hail hosannas upon the late great Lee Hazlewood, whose presence has been quite deeply felt in some of the finest music of 2008. Perhaps the stamp of influence was most deeply inked, however, with Sunday at Devil Dirt, the second collaboration between wispy-piped ingénue Isobel Campbell and croak-baritoned brooder Mark Lanegan.

Here, sad-eyed orchestral pop meets dusty country blues, frequently with dreamlike results - much like Hazlewood's signature showdowns with duet-partner Nancy Sinatra. Pitching Lanegan's growls and grumbles against Campbell's decidedly sweeter murmurs makes for a fascinating update of the Lee 'n' Nancy blueprint, but there's a twist.

Whereas Hazlewood played the Svengali to Sinatra - writing the songs and arrangements and often taking the second seat, vocally speaking, to his partner - here the roles are switched, with Campbell at the helm musically but sticking largely to the second mic in deference to Lanegan's bellowing lead. Having written almost the entirety of the disc, as well as handling all arrangement and production duties, Campbell has worked some spine-tingling trickery from her place in the shadows: Lanegan gets the bigger boom in the mix, yes, but behind the whisper-thin sighs and coos, it is Campbell who is in control.

Continue reading "Please keep Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan in mind, sweetheart" »

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Posted by SFBG at 09:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hang time: High on Fire's "Hung, Drawn, and Quartered."

Cool, ain't it? The fun just keeps coming in chilly-chilly-chill SF. Here are a few more musical note-worthies.

BART DAVENPORT
Soulful and sweet as it comes - thanks to the Oakland singer-songwriter. With Brian Glaze and the Night Shift, the Dry Spells, and DJ Lithuanian Prince. Thurs/18, 9 p.m., $8. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.

HIGH ON FIRE
Get an earful of this week's "Year in Music" cover dude Matt Pike and his Bay power trio, High on Fire, a band that has gone far beyond being, as Guardian contributor Mike McGuirk put it, an "outlet for aggression/Yeti poems Pike uses in place of his defunct first band, Sleep, San Jose's most seminal export." With Drunk Horse. Thurs/18, 9 p.m., $16. Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell, SF. (415) 885-0750.

HIGHTOWER
The SF thrashers throw a benefit for Bordertown-Oakland Skate Park. With the Ferocious Few. Thurs/18, 9 p.m., $5. Thee Parkside, 1600 17th St., SF. (415) 503-0393.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: High on Fire, Fall Out Boy, Black Fag, and so much more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

News from the Lady Sovereign camp:

"Lady Sovereign is back and got her own label through EMI and has a new record for April. She has just put up a new song on her MySpace for fans to download.

"Midget Records is her label that has a global partnership with EMI. Her upcoming record is called Jigsaw and will be out April 7, 2009."

The song is "I Got You Dancing" and it's a free download on the performer's Web site as well. The lady calls it "an early Christmas gift" and goes on to write: "Hey, hey! Just to let you now I'm alive!... I just finished writing the new album in London... The album is the next chapter. It's a massive leap forward for mankind!!! Love, Sov."

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 01:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jump in: Too $hort's "I'm a Player."

Party-hopping, penny-pinching, craft-making and cookie-baking, and singing for your supper - the holiday activities never let up - and the city responds in kind...with more, more, more shows. Here's what you might be missing...

All righty: Cold War Kids' "Something Is Not Right with Me."

VAMPIRE WEEKEND AND COLD WAR KIDS
"Golden Gate Jumpers" alert. The combos warm up Not So Silent Night with this toasty pre-show. Wed/10, 8 p.m., $25. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. (415) 625-8880.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Mudhoney, Too $hort, Not So Silent Night, the Bug, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Marke B.

The Guardian's Year in Music issue doesn't come out for a couple weeks, but I'm getting my musical top 10 of 2008 (clubswise) list ready -- check out last year's here -- and I'm pretty sure the loves of my musical life for the past two months will be on it: Clubfeet, a golden trio from Australia, where most great dance-ish music seems to come from. OK, it's not too dance-ish, maybe (although look for the slew of banger remixes to follow), but the tuneful coupling of innocently cynical sentiment with absolutely beautiful production is a marvel that has me skipping around in my undies. Check out Clubfeet's album Gold on Gold (Plant Music -- available on iTunes etc.) and get ready to sing a long ....

Below, the vids for "Teenage Suicide" (if you don't get the reference, then I fear for your Gen-X soul) and the gorgeous "DIE Yuppie Scum" which puts me in mind of Stephen Duffy/Tin Tin, especially the vocals. And I will bestow a million kisses on the first DJ here to play them ...

Clubfeet, "Teenage Suicide"

Clubfeet, "DIE Yuppie Scum"

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Posted by SFBG at 01:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Chloe Schildhause

The Morning Benders, a collection of groovy kids from Berkeley, have been working hard to make a name for themselves in the music world. After the release of their first record, Talking Through Tin Cans (+1), they’ve been busying touring, but for their last show of the year, the Cal alums are returning to the Bay Area for a performance at the Rickshaw Stop tonight, Dec. 5. Their poppy love grooves are yummy, and their image is as enchanting as their music. Seriously, they dress well, and I am digging lead vocalist Chris Chu’s pastel pink Ray-Bans. I spoke with Chris Chu on a sunny East Bay day to discuss the band and life.

Srsly bent. Photo by Timothy Norris

SFBG: I saw you guys at Treasure Island this summer. There was a lot of blood involved in that show. Do you guys bleed at every show - what’s with that?

Chris Chu: Joe bleeds a lot, yeah. I don’t know why - it’s just his style. He just hits the strings hard, and he kind of keeps going after the first time, and so he just keeps bursting it open.

SFBG: Does this happen at every show?

CC: It happens a lot, yes. We’re trying to figure out how to get it to work better. At that show I burst my finger, too, so I was bleeding. But that doesn’t usually happen. I’m pretty healthy.

SFBG: You have Britney Spears stickers on your guitars. Why?

CC: Joe’s actually distant relatives with Britney Spears.

SFBG: What’s the connection?

CC: I don’t know what it is - second cousins or something. But the stickers were just sort of a fluke, we just got them. Someone was handing them out on the street - some crazy person. That was on tour in the East Coast, and since there was a little connection there, that’s why we put them on.

Morning Benders, "Dammit Anna"

SFBG: Was it intentional to have your last concert of the year be in your neck of the woods?

CC: Definitely yeah. It’s actually weird - we’ve been touring, and we ended up playing a lot of places more often than we get to play here. It’s been a fluke that when the record came out we didn’t have stops in San Francisco.

SFBG: When you first came to Berkeley, what was your intention in life? Was it to become a member in a band?

Continue reading "The Morning Benders ditch tin cans, talk live" »

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Posted by SFBG at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The story: Oasis play "Morning Glory" at Oracle Arena, Oakland.

As I enjoyed the tasteful production design of Oasis' Dec. 3 show and wondered just how many trucks they had parked in the lot, Prof. Fluffy turned to me and yelled, "I'm scared of the singer. He looks like he wants to jump off the stage and poke someone in the eye."

Perhaps it was the way the black-shirted Liam Gallagher was holding his tambourine at the opening of their not-quite-sold-out Oracle Arena show - posing like a statue at the front of the stage with the offending instrument between his teeth. He resembled a skinhead terrier.

He had a right to be proud: solid playing from the band - though they seemed a mite disengaged, likely, due to the audience, who were subdued next to their European fans. The majority of the football-like chanting came from the English- and Irish-accented crew behind me. They marveled that they were able to get such good seats so close to the date of the show.

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 08:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Daniel N. Alvarez

Part of a continuing series: Britpop Faves.

When Pulp, the perpetual Britpop outsiders, went into the studio to follow up their first taste of commercial success, the Gold-certified His 'n' Hers (Island, 1994), few would have guessed the unassuming quintet would craft a groundbreaking album that would transcend the Britpop scene, while also creating a recording that was quintessentially British.



While Different Class (PolyGram/Island, 1995) contains the same new wave/glam hybrid of His 'n' Hers, it surpasses their previous effort due to frontperson Jarvis Cocker's development into the most compelling, perceptive figure in rock music at the time. The full-length sees Cocker, a cross between Robert Smith and Morrissey with a keen understanding of sociology, come into his own as a songwriter, weaving tales of sex, drugs, and the rigid, enduring class system that has afflicted England for centuries. Though many UK bands played with the class system (the Verve, the Happy Mondays), none of them investigated it - and rallied against it - like Cocker.


For the love of...: Pulp's "Common People."

Continue reading "Britpop Faves: Pulp pulverized" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Say hello to my little invisible friend: Los Amigos Invisibles' "Cuchi Cuchi."

Ask and the city provides - good times and solid sounds for all. Here's the good schtuff that didn't make it to print.

WU-TANG CLAN
The Wu is with you - though RZA and Ghostface Killah were MIA when the group last played Ess Ef. Wed/3, 8 p.m., $45. Grand Ballroom at Regency Center, Van Ness and Sutter, SF. (415) 421-8497.

LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES
This year the Venezuela group impressed at Outside Lands and threw out its first live DVD - and a new studio album is said to be in post-production. With Funky-C and DJ Felina. Thurs/4, 9 p.m., $22. Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1421.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Mixmaster Mike, Los Amigos Invisibles, Wu-Tang Clan, Morning Benders, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 11:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Matt Pond PA has a new free EP available for download. From the band's peeps and site:

"We took ourselves captive, and became our own producers, manufacturers, and distributors. It was a deferential revolt against inertia, a clearing of the throat to answer the quiet. Or maybe it was an inevitable reaction to seeing Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

Continue reading "Matt Pond PA unleashes 'The Freeep" - and plenty of thoughts to boot" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Change Nation: Lyrics Born's "I Changed My Mind."

You're gonna be stuffed, you're going to be stressed, you're going to be tired of watching football... Then, you'll want to go out - and be among kindred spirits fleeing family and taking refuge in solid sounds.

LYRICS BORN
You like him, you love him. The Bay MC ushers in the holidaze. With Raashan Ahmad and Mavrik. Wed/26, 9 p.m., $25. Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1422.

SISTERS OF MERCY
The band that launched a jillion black dye jobs hasn't released new material since 1993. Wed/26, 8 p.m., $35. Warfield, 982 Market, SF. (415) 421-8497.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Lyrics Born, M83, Herbaliser, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Brandon Bussolini

It would be hard to take someone seriously if they told you they were addicted to music. The notion of addiction might have more purchase for books or movies, but listening to music compulsively seems like a given for this generation. Music "helps" - in the broadest sense of that word: it can be restorative or push you into productive discomfort, and can help articulate feelings that might not get very far on language alone.

It’s easy to listen to Love Is All’s new album, A Hundred Things Keep Me up at Night (What’s Your Rupture), like water, two times a day easy, on the bus trying to calm down. With each listen, the disc becomes less like a collection of songs and more like a collection of vignettes, ones that seem to capture something important about what it feels like to be in the midst of your second adolescence.

Vocalist Josephine Olausson knows how to throw a good tantrum, but even amid the more blown-out sentiments of “Give It Back,” her delivery is so much more than merely spiteful as she delivers the lines: “All the love I gave you, give it back / Every time I praised you, I’m keeping track / Every minute on the phone / It was only cos I felt so alone.”

Continue reading "Another punk: Love Is All has a lot of feelings" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 07:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Old-school ballin': the Breeders' "Cannonball."

Ah, Kim Deal - how down-to-earth cool can you be? Here's more from the Breeders leader and Pixies bassist - we talked on Obama... I mean, election day. For the first part of this interview, see this week's Sonic Reducer.

SFBG: Hi, Kim.

Kim Deal: Hi, Kim. Beautiful name.

SFBG: How's it going?

KD: Good, I'm in Dayton, Ohio. I went and voted today so I'm a little tired. I got up to pee at 7 in the morning and I thought, aaah, I should just go and vote now and I did.

Wholly unholy: the Breeders' "Saints."

Continue reading "The Breeders' Kim Deal on ATP, 'Milk,' pop, voting, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 08:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Chloe Schildhause

You can’t help but love Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head based on the sheer genius of their name. When I first read of NPSH last spring in Dazed and Confused, I knew I had to hear them. Thankfully the band's sound is as fun as its name.

The group - composed of four June babies, Luke Smith, Shaun Libman, David Price, Liam Downey Jr., and Claire England - released their self-released debut, Glistening Pleasures, this summer. But they’ve been performing and developing a following since 2005.

I talked with England via phone about NPSH’s evolution. “I set up the first show for these guys before I was even in the band” she said. The combo’s first performance was for 826 Seattle.

Continue reading "Hair they come: Natalie Portman's Shaved Head" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Michelle Broder Van Dyke

Watching Lykke Li bounce her nimble, lithe body, holding her hand to her head, as she warms up before screaming into a megaphone in the “Breaking It Up (Alternate Take)” video reminds me of a simple fact: sex sells. Better yet, cute Swedish girls who exude sexuality sell.

A standard formula we all know, but these days it has got a twist: GAWS majors and hipster boys wearing their sister’s pants reflect a shift in the standard norms of sex stars from the typical Paris Hilton and Christina Aguilera wannabes, and the spectrum has been widened to less conventional icons like Maggie Gyllenhaal and Swedish pop sensation Lykke Li.

Lykke Li dances with a lot of hopping and arm flinging, which makes her resemble a sexier, less crazed, but still spastic Ian Curtis. She stares into the camera as if she’s looking at you, drops her eyes, and even though she’s breaking up with you, you’re already addicted by the time the catchy hook comes.

Easy to do: the official "Breaking It Up."

Continue reading "Dance, dance, dance with Lykke Li - and mixed emotions" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PRIMAL SCREAM
Beautiful Future
(B-Unique)

By Todd Lavoie

There's a standard snappy comeback which seems to inevitably follow the announcement of a new Primal Scream release. If you spend much time in the music-nerd universe, you've probably heard it somewhere. Hell, maybe you've even uttered the words yourself. It goes something like this:

"So, which Primal Scream will we be hearing from this time?"

I suppose it's all in good snark, given that the Glasgow, Scotland, institution has thrown itself into frequent sonic overhauls and switcheroos over the years. Starting off in the mid-'80s as Byrds-y jangle-pop devotees, they'd adopted a harder, MC5/Stooges bluster by the end of the decade. In 1991 they had morphed into flower-hugging, Ecstasy-dispensing groove-lovers with the thoroughly zeitgeist-defining indie/dance crossover Screamadelica (Sire), an album which slipped acid house, dub, and even the odd diva anthem into the British guitar-pop charts and helped convince an entire generation that rock-culture and dance-culture need not be mutually exclusive.

Continue reading "Sweet beat: Primal Scream packs its latest grooves with tasty melodies, duets" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Jesus: Patti Smith in The Black Generation in 1979.

So much to do, so many to see. Here are the notables that didn't make print.

HUBBA HUBBA REVUE
Every third Friday, the frocks come off and the old- 'n' new-school burlesque is ahn. Loved Lady Satan's recent toy-gun-humping Sarah Parlin striptease - she's here at this Oktoberfest edition, along with Trixxie Carr, Sparkly Devil, Alotta Boutte, and Calamity Lulu. Lee Press-On and the Nails provide the live tunes. Check the show out every Monday eve at Uptown Nightclub, too. Fri/17, 9 p.m., $10-$15. DNA Lounge, 375 Eleventh St., SF. (415) 626-1409.

Continue reading "Sonic Reducer Overage: Patti Smith, Kings of Leon, M.A.N.D.Y., Hubba Hubba Revue" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 08:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rah-rah: Ratatat.

By Laura Mojonnier

A snapshot of the Pop Montreal festival, Oct. 3, 4, and 5.

Day 3

Ratatat and Panther at Club Soda, 10:30 p.m.

I began Friday night, Oct. 3, with the second most-hyped show of the festival: Ratatat. (First place goes to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, who played Metropolis on Thursday night - not even my press pass could get me in.) It was sold out weeks before Pop began, but somehow Club Soda managed to not feel like the inside of a wet diaper in mid-July. So props to whoever was in charge of air circulation.

I saw opening act Panther over the summer with maybe 30 people in the room at an Oakland gallery smaller than my apartment, so naturally I assumed that seeing them six rows deep in a huge downtown venue was bound to disappoint. But the Portland, Ore., art-rock duo, composed of multi-instrumentalist Charlie Salas-Humara and drummer Joe Kelly, actually managed to pull it off, oozing enough delirious energy to fill the 800-person room.

Continue reading "Pop Montreal part three: Ratatat, Beach House, Wire, and more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Jen Snyder

Man, San Francisco, you are a very musically incestuous city.

On Friday, Oct. 10, I traveled to Chinatown’s Li Po Lounge for a show. I really appreciate any reason that sends me to Chinatown, be it a mission as a tour guide for house guests or a dire need for new China Flats, but this was a particularly promising trip. Li Po Lounge is a totally legitimate dive bar, plus it has one of those excellent creepy basement show rooms that you usually only can find in Oakland. The sound isn’t super-great, but the lighting (there basically is no “lighting”) and the mood is perfect. To top it off, Will Ivy of Bridez was performing his solo material.

I knew it was going to be good: I’d already listened to a few of Will Ivy’s lo-fi tracks on MySpace and totally dug them, particularly the song "Scrap Plastic," but my hunch was based slightly more on the fact that most good bands have members with excellent side projects. I've always been a fan of songwriters and the diary-style lyrics and the mood that's created when you’re writing things alone in your room.

Continue reading "Will Ivy makes us itch for more" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Daniel N. Alvarez

Weezer’s long-time bassist Scott Shriner is fired up. After spending almost a year holed in Los Angeles working on this year's critically acclaimed, Weezer (Geffen), also known as "The Red Album," he is psyched to be back on the road. Flanked by U2-loving Angels and Airwaves, Weezer are currently bringing their narcotic hooks and questionable facial hair to a town near you. Shriner was good enough to talk about The Red Album, his love of metal, and being inundated with YouTube celebrities, among other things.

SFBG: This album is a big step forward for Weezer. Without losing your signature sound, you guys were able to try some new things that were really successful. What are some aspects of the new Weezer that may surprise the fans?

Scott Shriner: I mean, it’s the first time, since I’ve been in the band, that we all contributed writing on the record. Also, we all took turns singing lead vocals, and a couple of the songs have the lead vocal spots kinda switched up. For example, Brian (Bell, guitarist) sings the chorus of “Everybody Get Dangerous” and Rivers (Cuomo, primary vocalist-guitarist) sings the verses. Or in “Greatest Man,” I sing a couple of verses, Rivers is sings a couple, and then we all sing on a couple parts. There’s just a lot more participation from the band.

Continue reading "In the red with Weezer's Scott Shriner" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 05:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ballboy
I Worked on the Ships
(Pony Proof)

By Todd Lavoie

I've never kept this a secret, but here goes: I'm a lyrics guy. Little surprise, I suppose, given my stats. I work in a bookstore. I'm a voracious reader. I've been known to throw words upon the page from time to time. I geek out over silly things like etymology and colloquialisms. Not only do I own several dictionaries, but I also have a shelf full of books of slang, quotations, and various other word-nerd delights.

Not to sound all Hallmark card about the whole thing, but words - well, they mean a lot to me. I am, after all, one of those saps who immediately yanks open the liner notes upon getting a new CD, scanning to see if the artist included the lyrics in the pages. As much as I love to lose myself in dense guitar washes or crunching synth riffs or blaring trumpet fanfares, ultimately I'd be lying if I didn't say that the thrust of whatever is leaving the vocalist's lips didn't matter the most to me. As a lover of books who admittedly doesn't read too much verse, I'm a sucker for lyrics probably because they're the closest thing to poetry in my life. Hell, some might even argue that certain songwriters out there - Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, maybe even Joni Mitchell at times - are bona fide poets as well.

Now, I wouldn't necessarily say that ballboy's Gordon McIntyre is a poet, but he does have a knack for penning engaging, lexicon-loving lyrics. Ever since arriving in a shower of wordplay in 2001 with their EP-collecting, snarkily-titled full-length Club Anthems (SL/Manifesto), the vocalist has pulled listeners close to their speakers with absorbing tales of love, sex, and the burning desire for something bigger and better.

Continue reading "Catching up with ballboy's chamber-pop poetry" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 08:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

By Chloe Schildhause

The charmingly romantic, springy UK folk band Noah and the Whale have just begun their US tour, and their San Francisco debut will happen at Amoeba Music and Popscene today, Oct. 2.

Their first album, Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down (Mercury), was just released in August, but the band has already been a big part of the summer UK festival circuit with gigs at V Festival, Summer Sundae and Glastonbury. Over the phone from the road, frontperson Charlie Fink told me: “Festivals have been cool. I sometimes find it intimidating - the big crowd and stuff. But it’s been fun.”

Fink writes Noah and the Whale’s lyrics. His personal favorite is the title track, he explained. “It says the most of what I’m trying to say on that album.” But what that is exactly is a mystery. “People are trying to get me to assess the lyrics," said Fink. "But I find it quite difficult because what you say in a song is what you can’t express any other way.”

Continue reading "Noah and the Whale's twee cinematic charm, in SF for the first time" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Brandon Bussolini

Brazilian Girls just released an album named for a city that they’ll be leaving for a little bit. They used to tour a lot, but now vocalist Sabina Sciubba, keyboard player Didi Gutman, and drummer Aaron Johnston are leaving New York City to spend time elsewhere. This makes sense since Brazilian Girls’ music has no single place of origin or definite direction. Their new album, like its predecessors, sits across several different styles and changes from minute to minute.

It can be a fun game to chase down the kinds of music Brazilian Girls incorporate into their own, but the sound itself has very little to do with tradition or context - it’s synthetic, and at its best is good enough to stop you from wondering whether what you’re listening to is world music or not - and whether there’s even anything wrong with that.

Sciubba’s voice is the band’s most distinctive element, but the songs themselves are little intelligent machines, and they work unhurriedly and with economy. The new full-length's first song, “St. Petersburg,” is where this clicks into place immediately, with its samba-techno rhythm and big triumphant chorus, where Sciubba’s typically arch delivery breaks with sophistication and becomes uncomplicatedly raw and moving. I had the opportunity to speak with Sciubba as the group began a short tour supporting New York City (Verve Forecast). Brazilian Girls play Mezzanine Saturday, Sept. 27.

SFBG: I read that after completing the album you took off for Paris. Was this a vacation, or something more permanent?

Continue reading "Multilingual beats, Obama love: Brazilian Girls move on with 'New York City'" »

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Posted by Kimberly Chun at 05:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SW a-swirl: Calexico's "Crystal Frontier."

San Francisco can't stop, won't stop - as usual there's far too much to do, see, and hear. Here are a few worthies to check out.

THE GIRLS
Yeah, you heard me right: the Girls, man, the Girls. Meaning, the Seattle garage-wave combo whose perky song stylings have caught Spin's ear (much like SF's Girls, sans "the"). Wed/24, 9 p.m., $8. Uptown Night Club, 1948 Telegraph, Oakl. (510) 451-8100.

JOSE GONZALEZ
His handsome Veneer and haunting songs - we're smitten. Wed/24, 8 and 10 p.m., $25. Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakl. (510) 238-9200.

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