Xiu Xiu's lead singer Jamie Stewart knows a thing or two about pain, heartache, and misery; one certainly assumes so from listening to his plaintive wailings on the band's latest record, La Forêt. The Oakland/Seattle-based experimental noise trio remain characteristically uncharacterizable, save for Stewart's verge-of-shattering crystalline voice. It's an album that takes several plays before any of the dozen esoteric, despondent tracks are even remotely comprehensible, but on our first pass we did a... more ›

The band ended their yearlong hiatus to tour, and they’re rolling into town tonight. Help us welcome them back at Emo’s, where they’ll be playing with the Standard and the Heavenly States. more ›

LA's Dios (Malos) - formerly simply Dios - like drugs. A lot. A least, that's what we gather from their latest album, dios (malos), which finds lead singer Joel Morales repeating things like "I get high! / So do I!" Catchy hooks, simple lyrics and a generally sunny disposition make this record a pleasure to listen to. And while it's not terribly revolutionary nor as invigorating as their first album - we particularly like a reviewer calling them "slacker pop" - we have a hunch why they were nominated for last year's Shortlist Music Prize and were featured in one of The O.C. Soundtracks: they're a fun escape from the mundacities of our ho-hum lives. [Dios (Malos) Official Site] Members:
J.P. Cabellero - bass
Kevin Morales- guitar, vocals
Joel Morales - guitar, vocals
Jimmy Cabeza DeVaca - rhodes, keyboard, samples
Jackie Monzon - drums Latest Record:
dios (malos) , released last month by Startime International Artist Quote:
"It's weird thinking about that. My main goal is always to mix it up. Our music, it's just a melting pot. I've never been into doing what's hot. This whole retro thing's been going on a long time. Like anything retro is cool. From the mid-'90s on, like 1996-97 you had bands like Beachwood Sparks in California. Then garage rock in 2000. Then late '70s New Wave, then you got '80s. The fads right now are '83, '84. Pretty soon we'll have the "new Smiths" sound. It's already happening with Jesus & Mary Chain bands. It's getting out of control." - Joel Morales, from JunkMedia Playing At:
Stubb's
Monday, November 14th more ›

Austin's own Sound Team was one of the best acts we caught at ACL this year - despite the blistering temperature and sporadic dust tornadoes, they played an unceasingly energetic set that made us (nearly) forget about our impending heat strokes. Live, theirs is synth-happy dancerock constructed from the supple layering of their dual keyboard/guitars, toe-tappingly catchy drum beats, and Matt O.'s big, blaring vocals. Their studio work is something you'll have to experience... more ›

Joules Scott-Key - drums more ›