It is the end of the year and thus time for list-making extravaganzas. What follows is my own favorite albums from L.A. artists (or in the case of Glasser, albums recorded in L.A. by an L.A. resident before that resident abandoned us for New York). Behold, those full-lengths that I hold in highest esteem. —Kristina [...]

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photo courtesy of KCRW Anne Litt has been involved with KCRW for fifteen years, and has earned critical acclaim not only for her on-air talents, but also her supervision of the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack. She’s also the one responsible for the recent appearance of the Black Keys and Sean Hayes on Subaru commercials. Litt [...]

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Beta Band and Big Pink meet Black Mountain. “Dry the Rain” is not a cover but a sophisticated late Beatles-esque 12/8 ballad layering harmonies over piano, shaker and an acoustic guitar; “Wandering Foot” shows off drummer Justin Ivey on a deceptively simple beat laced with unexpected syncopation and precise fills.

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Sounds like the smooth glissando of a harp, a metallic cough, the hollow echo of a bouncing ping pong ball. Complex melodic, harmonic and rhythmic elements fit together as easily and smoothly as the layers of a wedding cake. Final song, “Galaxy Into Janaki,” conveys ambition and commitment found rarely anywhere in music.

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Laetitia Sadier’s voice will always be associated with Stereolab, but that’s not really such a bad thing. Still, Sadier is eager to discover a new space of her own. She has recently scored a Marxist film, made three albums with her band Monade, and now presents her first completely solo endeavor, The Trip. This interview by Kristina Benson.

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However, after immersion in One For All’s aural landscape, the ear adjusts, and it becomes clear that the minimalism of the compositional style is executed skillfully and consciously, with interwoven layers of legato vocal lines, cleverly syncopated drum tracks, and blues-inspired basslines further complimented by tasteful production and interesting details.

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[Audio clip: view full post to listen] 01. Kurt Vile “Blackberry Song” 02. The Movies “Missed Opportunities” 03. Siouxsie and the Banshees “Mirage” 04. ESG “You’re No Good” 05. Jens Lekman “Your Arms Around Me” 06. Trans Am “Future World” 07. Lili Put “Water Table” Wet and Reckless are a four-piece purveyor of power-pop influenced [...]

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[Audio clip: view full post to listen] 01. Brian Eno “Big Ship” 02. Public Image Ltd. “Careering” 03. Here We Go Magic “Tunnelvision” 04. Madvillain ft. Viktor Vaughn “Fancy Clown” 05. R. Stevie Moore “I Go Into Your Mind” 06. Kraftwerk “Franz Schubert/Endless Endless” Pacific Hurt (née Aushua) ‘s lead singer, Nathan Gammill, took the [...]

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BEAK> is a Dogme 95 band made up of Bristol musicians Billy Fuller, Matt Williams and Portishead’s Geoff Barrow. They took time before their last stateside show to lament the disappearance of British independent music stores and express their disdain for rock’n’roll shows. When he isn’t performing with BEAK>, Geoff Barrow runs Invada records. This interview by Kristina Benson.

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01. Tom Waits “Hang Down Your Head” 02. Illinois “Swimsuit” 03. Cee-Lo “Closet Freak” 04. Daniel Lanois “Frozen” 05. The Dead Weather “Gasoline” 06. OutKast
 “Rosa Parks” 07. Otis Redding “Dock of the Bay” 08. The Who
 
”A Quick One While He’s Away” 09. Built to Spill “Carry the Zero” Eastern Conference Champions moved out [...]

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