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Review: Twin Shadow & Lolawolf @ Troubadour, Los Angeles 01/22/15

twinshadow

Reviewed by Brian Litwin

In a homecoming of sorts, George Lewis, Jr. and crew, aka Twin Shadow, played quite a set to an eager Troubadour crowd on Thursday the 22nd. The crowd, a healthy mix of fans and industry alike, seemed somewhat depraved of the ’80s tone that exudes out of the speakers as the band blasted through their set.

Opening the night was NYC trio, Lolawolf. Although possibly known more for the lead singer’s, Zoe Kravitz, father (Lenny Kravitz), do not sleep on these guys as they played one hell of a show; infusing a unique brand of R&B that is defiant and sexy. The band were a great pick to start the night.

Twin Shadow came out and meant business from the get go. George can really play the guitar and the band sounded super tight on tracks like 2012 single release “To The Top”. He also made it known that a new song will be released very shortly and an upcoming album to follow on Warner Bros. Records. Quite a transition from the UK tastemaker label 4AD, the first release via WBR “Turn Me Up” is gold. TS’s set did somewhat turn into a bit of a comedy routine, but truthfully it was nice to see him so comfortable and interacting so freely with the crowd. If you are on the fence about seeing Twin Shadow, hop off and catch the show, it is worth every penny.

Twin Shadow: newyork (Official)

reviewed by
01-28-15

WOOF. – Tiny House

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The sometimes cheeky and multi-talented one-man-show Woof. endears with his playful new indie folk rock single “Tiny House” which he released on Soundcloud this past weekend. Woof, who as a singer-songwriter-musician resonates somewhere between an early Beck and Thom Yorke, also recently debuted his upbeat, remarkably awesome, experimental self-titled EP. Reviewed by Erin Shay.

WOOF. newjersey (Soundcloud)

reviewed by
01-27-15

Slum Sociable – Anyway

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Melbourne duo Slum Sociable have just put out a groove-laden debut track “Anyway” and it’s resonating well. They describe themselves as “Lofo Jazz Hop” which loosely translates into some cool Cinematic Orchestra-esq harp and hazy vocals draped over a brilliant downtempo dub track. There’s little info to be found about the duo at this stage, besides their names and location, but with their first local show on a bill with Nas, Odesza & How To Dress Well ticked off, plus rumours of a forthcoming EP, you shouldn’t have to wait too long to satisfy your craving for more like this. Reviewed by Nathan Hetherington

Slum Sociable australia (Soundcloud)

reviewed by
01-26-15

Rave’s Fave: The Vaccines – Handsome

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Welcome back to a band we’ve been following since before their initial US release. After a highly prolific few years that spawned two albums, an EP, and several one-off singles, they took awhile to come up with this return. “Handsome” is a driving pop tune in that familiar Vaccines vein, but with more production in general and a more modern approach. Singer Justin Young says it took him a mere hour to write this song. He had fun writing it and you’ll have fun hearing it. Look for their English Graffiti album to drop later this year. There’s no word on a specific date as of yet.

Hear Bruce’s “Go Deep With Bruce Rave” weekly new music show on Indie1031/Los Angeles, KX 93.5-FM/Laguna Beach, and WSUM-FM/Madison. Details and archived shows can be found on his blog and be sure to follow Bruce on Twitter too!

The Vaccines (Official)

reviewed by
01-22-15

Dorsal Fins – Mind Renovation

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The jangly psychedelic-leaning new indie pop single “Mind Renovation” from Melbourne-based collective the Dorsal Fins (which features the freestyle lyrics of vocalist Jarrad Brown) is the premiere track off the (fifteen member) group’s debut EP “Mind Renovation” set to release on February 13th. Reviewed by Erin Shay.

Dorsal Fins australia (Soundcloud)

reviewed by
01-20-15

Jacky Winter – You Gotta Give Me Something

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Sink into the sultry vocals and soulful swagger of Aussie singer-songwriter and fledgling MPC aficionado Jacky Winter on excellent lead single “Give Me Something” from Jacky’s debut self-titled EP which he created with musician mate Spencer Dyson and mixed in NYC with rocker-guitarist-turned-producer Matt Verta-Ray. Reviewed by Erin Shay.

Jacky Winter australia (Soundcloud)

reviewed by
01-20-15

Day Wave – Total Zombie

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“Total Zombie” is the second track to surface online from Oakland native Jackson Phillips a/k/a Day Wave. Following the buzzy “Nothing At All”, “Total Zombie” moves in a similar lo-fi, immediately infectious bit of real estate. Listen.

Day Wave (Soundcloud)

reviewed by
01-15-15

Hanni El Khatib & Freddie Gibbs – Satin Black

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Favorite rapper Freddie Gibbs is joined by great guitar Hanni El Khatib for the trippy inspired by sneakers sound of “Satin Black”.

Hanni El Khatib (Facebook)

Freddie Gibbs indiana (Facebook)

reviewed by
01-15-15

Maudlin Strangers – Aim

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L.A. band Maudlin Strangers announce new EP with Vagrant Records with stream of latest single “Aim”. Channeling the timbre of latter days Arctic Monkeys, “Aim” is a minor-keyed track heavy on large in stature chorus hooks and long on alternative radio potential. The “Overdose” EP is out January 20th.

Maudlin Strangers (Soundcloud)

reviewed by
01-14-15