The Dirty Sirens are rock ’n’ roll’s fallen angels amplified.
November 28, 2012
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Stories by Alfred Howard
Now you know: Dirty Sirens
Soul Fires just getting warmed up
In a way, the Fire Eaters are the next generation of San Diego soul and acid jazz.
October 31, 2012
Gary Clark Jr.'s Blak and Blu
Blak and Blu, the debut full-length from Gary Clark Jr., has an aggravated hive of buzz about it. With premier slots at music festivals and a well-received EP, Clark has the weight on his shoulders …
October 26, 2012
Smashing Pumpkins' Oceania
On “Quasar,” the first song off of the new Smashing Pumpkins album, the band comes out of the gate with teeth bare. There is ferocity in the drums and a fire in the guitars that …
June 28, 2012
Here, by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros deliver their second album, Here, with a gentle treatment of spiritual and festive cult-folk. Their debut, Up From Below, struck gold from the deep-blue nowhere. It was an unexpected …
May 31, 2012
Sweet Heart Sweet Light, by Spiritualized
With their seventh studio album, Spiritualized continue their legacy of ecstatic mourning, something divine and destructive, chaotic and focused. The album begins with lush string arrangements and then takes a sharp shift to lead single …
May 3, 2012
The Shins' Port of Morrow
This is a new Shins, not the band that gave us the delicious acoustic-pop of Chutes to Narrow and Oh Inverted World. Nor the band that released Wincing the Night Away five years ago. The …
April 4, 2012
Arrow, by Heartless Bastards
For most of my adult life I have worked at record stores. One can only listen to the Beatles so many times (though I'm testing that statement everyday). So, with whim on my side I'll …
February 22, 2012
Dr. Dog Fills the Void at Belly Up
Philadelphia-based psychedelic-rock band Dr. Dog took the stage at Belly Up in support of its sixth studio album, Be the Void. The band hit with the sold-out crowd by kicking off the show with "Lonesome," …
February 15, 2012
The Great Escape Artist, by Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction walked away from music at the top of their game. In the late '80s and early '90s, they brought art back to rock 'n' roll with two studio albums that had the poetry …
November 29, 2011
Lou Reed and Metallica's Lulu Is a Lulu
Lou Reed and Metallica's collaboration is a head on collision between two trains and the casualties are the ears of the listeners. The first words uttered on Lulu ("I would cut my legs and tits …
November 1, 2011
Inspired Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey at the Loft — This Ain't Your Daddy's Jazz
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, a quartet from Tulsa, Oklahoma, brought their unique brand of open-minded musicianship to the Loft at UCSD. Touring in support of Race Riot Suite, the quartet added a five-piece horn section, …
October 11, 2011
Wilco's The Whole Love
“I been young, I been old/I been hurt and consoled/Heart of cold, heart of gold/so I'm told” — “Dawned on Me” The opening line of “Dawned on Me” summarizes Wilco's eighth studio album, on which …
October 2, 2011