Everyone's a Critic
Thirty years ago, the Jam was on top of their game and regularly saw the top of the U.K. charts. But Paul Weller had become tired with the “Jam sound” and wanted to break away. …
Walking into Kava Lounge for Critical Beatdown, a new monthly series devoted to the burgeoning beat scene, you immediately notice two things out of place. First, it's packed, which doesn't happen in San Diego for …
Los Angeles beat scene mainstay Baths brought his one-man show to the sold-out Loft and kept the twentysomethings swaying to his unique electronic melodies. His play list consisted of down-tempo collages such as "Lovely Bloodflow" …
Local pianist Geoffrey Keezer and guitarist Peter Sprague teamed up to form a new jazz band that sold out the Saville Theater. The concert served as a CD-release party for their debut, Mill Creek Road. …
OMD's first album since 1996. The first classic-lineup album since 1986. "New Babies: New Toys" comes in clean like a virtual world sunrise then fuzz-rubbers the bass, toughs up the drums, throws words like "shit" …
San Diego band Midnight Rivals showed the crowd at Casbah why they're one of the best rock ’n’ roll bands around. The Rivals opened with a rousing "Kings Are Queens," highlighted by Mark Maigaard’s pummeling …
Bloodflowers cut into the first song like it's a Porterhouse, they've all been starving, and all they have is a jagged plastic knife. Like heavy metal, but it's less predictable ’cause it's mostly three times …
Tapes ’N Tapes lead vocalist Josh Grier possesses a buoyant, elastic delivery that coils itself around whatever emotion a given song calls for. Cradled under mellow, precise chords reminiscent of Vampire Weekend, this formula breeds …
I frequently hear the claim that gangsta rap all sounds the same. And on the surface, that's true. Most gangsta rap deals with the same themes of violence and crime. But good gangsta rap goes …
I'm hoping there's no statute of limitations on how many pieces including Hector Penalosa and the Escovedo family I can write. Because if these guys continue pumping out seminal So. Cal. rock 'n' roll fluids, …
If punk rock had been invented on the piano and German cabaret had made it across the Atlantic, then we would be living in a world where the Dresden Dolls are mainstream. Instead, Amanda Palmer …
It's 1972. Marc Bolan, born Mark Feld, son of a truck driver, sits on top of the fricking world. Or, at least, on top of as much of the world as matters to him — …
So far, the two biggest success stories from American Idol are power-pop belter Kelly Clarkson and country superstar Carrie Underwood. Well, after listening to Crystal Bowersox's debut album, all I can say is move over …
Between having tunes appear on hit TV shows Grey's Anatomy and Castle and another one on the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack, San Diego–based Anya Marina's music has gotten high-profile exposure, leading up to her latest …
Local favorites Josh Damigo and Endoxi rocked the Belly Up Tavern's Facebook party. The performers were selected by fans on Belly Up's Facebook page. Josh, a 2010 San Diego Music Award recipient who recently moved …
Textured, moderately echoed/fuzzed guitar meshes with Quinn's I-have-a-caramel-in-my-mouth vocals and wide-(NYC)-eyed intonations irresistibly. Yeah, it sounds kinda ’90s, but in a "I miss the verve and innocence we took for granted" way. Liz Phair's thoughts …