Everyone's a Critic
Australia’s finest, Tame Impala, gave all in the house an early surprise by joining opening act Jonathan Wilson onstage for his final number. Wilson and his band had played a solid set, although for most …
Indie darlings Rilo Kiley called an end to its decade-spanning run in 2011. For those still tuning in, the band has released rkives, an 18-track compilation full of unreleased tracks and demos. rkives spans the …
Three days of long nights, and the perpetrator is a fellow ex-pat named Mike Stax. The 30-year anniversary of Stax’s magazine, Ugly Things, was celebrated by players past and present. Santa Ana’s the Neumans kicked …
“Finding the fluorescence in the junk” is the first line Bradford Cox sings on opening track “Neon Junkyard.” It stands as a descriptor of Deerhunter’s Monomania. The fuzz-rock band from Atlanta is back. After all, …
Following on the heels of Amy Winehouse and Adele, Jessie Ware is the latest in an ever-expanding line of soul-inflected female pop singers from the U.K. But where the two superstars made vocal drama their …
Devendra Banhart brought his multilingual show to the Belly Up, and from what I could see in the dim lighting and from behind some girls iPad (really, people?), he appeared in fine, if restrained form. …
The first time I saw Boz Scaggs perform live was at the Matrix club in San Francisco in the early ’60s. Scaggs and another unknown, the future "gangster of love," Steve Miller, were fronting a …
When Prince sang the words “let’s go crazy” during the third of his four Hard Rock Hotel shows, was he talking about the people who forked over an eye-widening $250 a ticket? Was he referring …
Iconic rock band the Rolling Stones continues to defy the odds with their ability to seemingly turn back the hands of time. After 50 years, they continue to fill arenas, ignite crowds, and deliver Satisfaction …
Phoenix's 2009 album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, was a commercial and critical hit. It brought the French band to the world stage. This year, fresh off a headlining spot at Coachella, they keep up the pace …
"You can tell Gayle if she calls, that I'm famous now for all of these rock and roll songs," sang Brian Fallon. "And even if that's a lie, she should've given me a try," he …
“Alive, alive, alive, alive/ Alive, alive, alive, alive-o/ Alive-o,” she finishes. And if that sounds too simple, remember it’s shorn of her melody. Remember, too, that after Boston, after Waco (again), after Washington D.C. (why …
When The Strokes released Is This It in 2001, it wasn't uncommon to hear them proclaimed as the saviors of modern rock ’n’ roll. Their sound was gritty and focused but also loose and impossibly …
The Evens, a D.C.-based duo of Ian MacKaye (formerly of Minor Threat and Fugazi) and Amy Farina (formerly of the Warmers) performed a lively, powerful set at the Irenic, playing several songs from their debut, …
What does a Flaming Lips album written and recorded in a matter of days sound like circa 2013? Pretty much as one would expect: loose, psychedelic, jam-heavy, and LOUD! For all the complaints leveled at …
Nick Cave's shadow bounced across the wall, resembling a black skeleton dancing a jig, while he wailed about a mofo named "Stagger Lee." Alongside his band the Bad Seeds, Cave tore through a two-hour set …