Indiecation

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Indiecation Top 30 Albums of 2019

Indiecation Top 30 Albums of 2019

As another year filled with great music comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on albums that really stood out to me. 2019 was the year I got into the trendy lo-fi bedroom pop, jazz inspired sounds of Crumb and Men I Trust, while also exploring noise acts like Metz, Show Me The Body and Girl Band. As one might expect, the list is predominantly “indie rock,” with most acts falling into the…

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Desert Daze 2019 Highlights

Desert Daze 2019 Highlights

Imagine a world where you can watch amazing bands on a desert oasis just an hour from Los Angeles? It’s possible at Desert Daze. Phil Pirrone and Co curated an incredible lineup of psych rock acts including Stereolab, Khruangbin, DIIV and many many more. I went this weekend to cover the fest for MXDWN, and fully intended to see as much as humanly possible.  It wasn’t always easy – the heat during…

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Julia Jacklin wih Black Belt Eagle Scout live at The Roxy

Julia Jacklin wih Black Belt Eagle Scout live at The Roxy

An early show at The Roxy with drew in fans of Northwestern-based Black Belt Eagle Scout and Australia’s darling, Julia Jacklin. The place was packed with mostly young women who fan-girled over Jacklin about as die-hard as the Maggie Rogers crowd.

Unfortunately for me, I missed most of Black Belt Eagle Scout who started promptly at 8:00 p.m, as they were the band I really made the trek to…

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Watch Now: Gracie Gray "Morphine"

Watch Now: Gracie Gray “Morphine”

The dreamy new single “Morphine” by artist Gracie Gray is available to stream on Oregon In A Day, her album that just dropped last Friday. And better yet, it’s accompanied by a music video featuring the artist herself in a contemplative haze.

The scene begins and ends in a bedroom, with a euphoric outdoor ride in between showing Gray singing softly and smiling upwards towards the sky as the light…

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Valetine's Day with The Marías

Valetine’s Day with The Marías

This Valentine’s Day, I opted to spend the night basking in the sultry sounds of one of my favorite bands right now, The Marías, who sold out the OC Observatory. The María’s first came on my radar when I heard them perform at the Long Beach festival, Topicalia, and I’ve been in love ever since. They released a two-part EP, Superclean Vol. I and II,just last year and it’s been in my heavy rotation…

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Indiecation Top 30 Albums of 2018

Indiecation Top 30 Albums of 2018

It’s that time of year again when everyone is busy compiling lists of the best albums and songs they’ve heard all year. It was another great year of music, and the indie category certainly provided plenty of greats to pick from.

This year, we saw local artists like the Hawthorne-based Cuco really take off as he went from playing back yards to Coachella in just 1 year. This indie-fusion dominated…

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Album Review: Beak> - >>>

If you're like me and have a radar for any new post-punk, Beak>'s latest is sure to perk your ears up: Album Review: Beak> - >>>

Let me start by saying that Beak> are a newfound love of mine since I discovered “Sex Music” and “Mono” probably on my Spotify discovery. Their latest album >>> has been on heavy rotation where I work now at Fingerprints music in Long Beach and I can’t get enough of it. Featuring members of Portishead and Moon Gangs, it’s no surprise that their collaboration has been so solid. (more…)

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The High Curbs, Goth Babe, The Side Eyes and more at the Constellation Room

The High Curbs, Goth Babe, The Side Eyes and more at the Constellation Room

On a Saturday night in Santa Ana, I caught a sold-out punk show with The High Curbs, Goth Babe, The Side Eyes and Moss at the Constellation Room. I was most excited to check out Goth Babe, a dreamy chill-wave act sandwiched between punk and hardcore madness. To my surprise, this $10 show was sold out and the venue was fairly packed. It was clear that there were two separate crowd, as an EDM act…

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On a Friday Passover night in Hollywood, a sold out show of bands not many have heard of took place at the famous Roxy theater. A sea of brown-haired, Vans-wearing young concert-goers packed in the small venue for a night of fresh indie sounds.

Opening act L. Martin had quite an audience at 9pm. Complete with trombone, the five-piece indie rock outfit from Wisconsin really had the crowd engaged. I watched from the steps to the bar to give myself a better height advantage. 

But when local L.A. based Inner Wave took the stage, the highlight of the night truly began. The quintet was in full effect with both the keys and bass players donning overalls. The singer has one of my favorite voices I’ve heard in a while, and his voice cut through more than most indie groups who prefer to drench their vocals in reverb. They played all their “hits” that really had the crowd moving like “Diamond Eyes” and my recent favorite “Blacklight,” both of which are sway worthy. The singer also took the lead on the guitar solos, and the band overall was just tight in their sound. They also played upbeat crowd favorites like “American Spirits” and “142.” “Our whole family is here” the singer shared with the crowd.

But most of the family probably went to bed after Inner Wave’s set, as the crowd for Triathalon was just a tad smaller. Triathalon had a pretty low-key, soft set as they performed songs mostly from Online, their latest album, which has a heavy R&B vibe about it that’s still enjoyable for indie rock lovers. They opened with the dreamy “Take It Easy” before diving into songs with sway-worthy beats like “3” and “South Side,” which had everyone singing along “you can catch me on the South Side” to the beat. The vocals from both the male and female singers harmonized quite well, as they sang softly together in a sultry fashion. The guitar player was active the entire set, carrying a lot of the rhythmic harmonies as the synths and drums seemed to provide more atmospheric sounds that were soft like the vocals. Not being an R&B fan myself, this is the kind of genre-blending that I can get down with, however, as Triathalon blends indie pop and R&B in a way no one else quite does.

Triathalon

Inner Wave

L. Martin

But the sweetest moment of the night was the closing song of Triathalon’s set, “It’s You,” for which he serenaded one of the players from Inner Wave and they shared a kiss at the end of the set as the red curtain closed, leaving everyone singing along “it’s yooouuuu” as they made their way to the merch table or the exit.

The bands are in the middle of their tour, but just finished their L.A. dates. Catch the Biker Gang tour in other cities though:

Triathalon and Inner Wave at the Roxy On a Friday Passover night in Hollywood, a sold out show of bands not many have heard of took place at the famous Roxy theater.

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On Saturday, February 24 I caught a sold-out show at the Glass House in Pomona: a triple-threat act including a Hand Habits solo act (Meg Duffy), Bay-area rising indie artists Jay Som and Brooklyn-based indie pop group Japanese Breakfast. This female-fronted lineup drew quite a crowd, as Pomona would be the final leg of their tour. I was personally excited to see all three of these acts, as each of their albums released in  2017 made my list of top 20 indie albums. 

The line to enter the Glass House wrapped around the block as concert-goers waited for the doors to open at 8:00 p.m. By the time Hand Habits took the stage first at 8:30, there was already a crowd formed around the stage and up in the balcony. The audience represented a wide range of ages, from children to silver-haired specimens, making it clear that good new music is still appreciated by all.

Hand Habits started the show on a softer note, as Meg Duffy took the stage solo with just her guitar. Right away, Duffy captivated the crowd with her soft playing and strong yet gentle vocals. The most special part of her set was a hair-raising performance of “Flower Glass,” which has a dark yet stunning simple melody and heart-wrenching lyrics like “it’s better to believe in something bigger than ourselves…when I hold you like a flower, hold you like an hourglass…” She took a moment to talk about gun control and what kids these days have to worry about. She shared that when she was 18-23 all she had to worry about was smoking pot and wondering if she was gay (which she did discover.)

Things were moving right on schedule as Jay Som took the stage just a short 15 minutes after. This would be my third time catching Jay Som and the first time in a non-festival setting, and I have to say this was my favorite performance of theirs. The band is always laid back and at ease on stage, but with a packed crowd and the energy high, they really seemed to be even more in the zone. Of course, something annoying happened right before their set and the crowd started filtering up between the people who had already secured their ideal viewing position, and in my case that was two tall girls that got right in front of me. Fortunately, I would still see between them, and I tried not to let my show etiquette pettiness get in the way while my friend and I exchanged glaring glances.

In classic form, Jay Som opened with “Turn Into,” which is still pretty much my favorite song of theirs. During their set, they performed new songs I hadn’t yet heard live like “Pirouette” and “O.K. Meet Me Underwater,” which was a nice surprise. Also staying true to form, they rolled out several tracks with jam-y outros, laughing, and goofy poses. They slowed things down with the most stunning performances I’ve seen of “I Think You’re All Right” which transitioned nicely into “Lipstick Stains,” the opening track to last year’s Everybody Works. Before playing crowd favorite, “The Bus Song,” singer Melina Duterte shared that Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast actually produced the music video to this song. Duterte also mentioned during the set what a pleasure it had been to be on tour with Hand Habits and Japanese Breakfast — two of the hardest working musicians she’s met. During the “I like the bus” lyrics, the whole crowd joined in, taking Duterte aback in delight. They closed the set with the dreamy and upbeat “Baybee,” or as Duterte called it, “Big Baby.”

I was getting excited to see Japanese Breakfast, as I hadn’t heard them play much of their newer songs, aside from glimpses from when I caught them opening for Alex G at the Echoplex last year. The packed crowd was beside themselves when Michelle Zauner took the stage in an all white outfit complete with light-up sneakers (that I couldn’t see, but saw later on instagram). They opened the set with the dreamy groove-worthy jam that is “Diving Girl,” and not a single person in the crowd was standing still. They also played another one of my favorites, “Road Head” also on Soft Sounds From Another Planet. Zauner got real with the crowd when she shared about her mother’s recent passing and how much that had an influence on her latest album before going into the soft and slow “Till Death.” She also talked about festival season (she’s slated to play at Coachella this year) and her deep disdain for crowd hype-ing. “I feel like you can just say the city’s name you’re in and the crowd will cheer… POMONA!!!” She joked, to which the crowd laughed and cheered. She also shared about how she’d never felt so famous when she was getting a banh mi nearby and people were asking to take photos with her. It was quite endearing.

They closed the set with the preface “we’re not doing an encore, but the next few songs are bangers,” before going into “Body Is A Blade” and a surprise cover of the Cranberries “Dreams” which the crowd really responded well to. They ended the night with an older favorite, “Everybody Wants to Love You,” and finally with the electro-pop-y “Machinist.” There was really something for everyone in their set as the style ranged from soft and slow to upbeat and dance-able.

I was buzzing at the end of the night, just high on that performance and showmanship. This was the best I’d seen Jay Som and Japanese Breakfast perform yet, as it was clear they fed off the crowd’s enthusiasm, putting them right in their element.

Jay Som

Japanese Breakfast

Hand Habits

  Follow me on instagram for videos of the show:

@iteloren  @theindiecation

Japanese Breakfast, Jay Som and Hand Habits at the Glass House On Saturday, February 24 I caught a sold-out show at the Glass House in Pomona: a triple-threat act including a Hand Habits solo act (Meg Duffy), Bay-area rising indie artists Jay Som and Brooklyn-based indie pop group Japanese Breakfast.

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Album Review: Porches - The House

Album Review: Porches – The House

Compared to his previous releases Pool and Slow Dance in the Cosmos, Aaron Maine’s project Porches shows simplicity and restraint in his latest electro-pop-driven album, The House. With this new chapter, in the majority of the tracks Maine ditches the auto-tune he picked up in Pool and favors his soulful, uninhibited vocals. While there are several forgettable tracks on the album, there are some…

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Indiecation Top 20 Indie Rock Albums of 2017

It’s that time of year when everyone’s lists are rolling out. And while most are a mish-mash of pop, hip-hop, electronic and rock, Indiecation’s top 20 lists only “indie” rock and some electronic music. In the 2017 indie scene, reverberating, dreamy sounds and rhythms ranging from ultra-minimal to jazz-inspired and complex reigned supreme. In some cases, vocals took a bit of a back seat, allowing…

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Grizzly Bear at the Wiltern

This past Wednesday, December 13,  I had the pleasure of catching a sold-out Grizzly Bear show at the Wiltern theater in Koreatown. By the time I arrived around 7:30, the GA bottom floor of the theater was filling up at the pit, so I spotted an opportunity to secure a prime viewing spot on the third riser level, which I quickly grabbed before the opening act started. Opening act Serpent With Feet…

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Love Songs to the Heartbroken

So this is a list of songs I’ve carefully compiled over the past couple months — from the depths of Desert Daze to the antiphonies of Cigarettes After Sex — this compilation is sure to draw out any emotion that’s ready to come forward. This mix is inspired by my breakup, my time at Desert Daze, Beach Goth, and just from seeing movies and TV shows that made me feel… well… anything. Without further…

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This past weekend, I headed to San Pedro’s waterfront to watch two whole days of live music. Although I’ve been to a few major festivals this year including Desert Daze and Music Tastes Good, I was most excited for this lineup, mainly to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the B-52’s, Beach Fossils, Cigarettes After Sex and some of my favorite smaller acts like the Paranoyds, Billy Changer, and La Luz. I was also excited to re-live my high school punk days by catching FEAR and Bad Brains.

But alas, I was on assignment for mxdwn, which is no walk in the park. When you’re legit covering a festival, you have to know song names (even of bands you don’t typically listen to), stay for entire sets that you’d rather bounce from, and be super attentive.

It was really something to be 100% sober, mainly due to the $14 drink costs, but also to keep my memory sharp. I saw all kinds of behaviors, and some were funny, but others were downright scary. From stage-diving fails to deranged fans halting one band’s set, to incoherent festival-goers being hoisted by friends, I saw it all!

But I was really excited to see some of my old and new favorites play. Saturday was my favorite, as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs absolutely killed their set, playing the majority of their songs off Fever to Tell. Cigarettes After Sex also put on a stunning set, playing at one of the main stages just as the sun was setting. And the B-52’s had everyone dancing and grooving to the ’60s inspired surf rock.

But there were some acts that I watched but just couldn’t get into, like Julian Casablancas and the Voidz, which just jerks sound every which way and the assault on the eyes and ears that is the Butthole Surfers.

You can catch my full, unbiased coverage via mxdwn, and some personal experiences in the video below.

For full festival coverage, check out my articles on mxdwn:

The Growlers Six Festival Day One Featuring the Yeah Yeah Yeahs The Growlers and more

The Growlers Six Festival Day One Featuring Butthole Surfers, the B-52’s and more

Check out my highlights and lowlights in this highly unedited video and please comment! I’d love to hear from you.

Beach Goth is Dead, But its Spirit is Alive as Ever This past weekend, I headed to San Pedro's waterfront to watch two whole days of live music.

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There was literally something for everyone at this year’s Music Tastes Good Festival at the Marina Green Park in Long Beach, CA. Dance/EDM? Check. Hip-Hop? Check. Indie Rock? Check. Dad Rock? Check.

Long Beach pride simply ran through this festival. From the local chefs and restaurants to the liberal use of “what up, Long Beach!” to hype up the crowd, it was clear that people were both surprised and delighted to be there. 

The Marina Green Park is nestled in the Shoreline Village area of Long Beach. With 360 views of everything Long Beach has to offer including the convention center, historic buildings and the Queen Mary, this location was the epitome of everything Long Beach has to offer. And as a CSULB grad and current Long Beach resident, I particularly love that Long Beach’s music scene is coming up — let’s not forget about Tropicalia coming up next month!

Both days I arrived around 2pm. Because I was writing full articles for mxdwn.com, I had my first “I’m with the press” experience at this show and, let me tell you, it was not too shabby! I took a moment to stop in at one of my favorites, Vinyl Williams, who’s post-punk and psych sounds were reverberating off the Convention Center parking lot as I checked into the festival. After catching Fledloyd, I took in the scenery. The taste area was available to a select few who spent the extra money, but there was just as much to see and eat. I stopped by The Attic’s booth and chatted with the attendant, who was giving out free samples of their famous, mouthwatering mac n’ cheetos — to which I am no stranger — and I told her The Attic was my neighborhood hang. She gave me a free t-shirt with said mac n’ cheetos on it and I happily made my way to the Long Beach Stage where BRONCHO was about to play.

BRONCHO had a definite cool factor as they played their reverberating garage rock. Singer Ryan Lindsey kept on making this comical motion — as he rocked his body back and forth, he’d play a chord then raise his hand with his finger pointed up. The first few times it seemed normal, but then he’d keep doing it after the songs ended so the audience started laughing, particularly during “What.”

Another highlight of the day were indie rock outfit Alvvays. As a recent fan, I was looking forward to hearing their new material off Antisocialites and boy did they deliver. The sound and vocals from Molly Rankin had the audience in a dreamy daze. While they played fan favorites like “Adult Diversion,” their new tracks were the stars of the show. “Not My Baby” and “Dreams Tonight” both have beautiful melodies and made the most impact to me during their set. Oh, and can we talk about rotating main stages for a second and why more shows aren’t using them?? As one band was playing, in the back another would be setting up unbeknownst to the audience. At the end of the set, the stage would rotate, giving us a glimpse of a very Long Beach scenery — palm trees and, in this case, a beautiful sunset.

Of Montreal and !!! (Chk Chk Chk) from day two will have to battle it out for most energetic performance and audience. When of Montreal singer Kevin Barnes took the stage, he was wearing a blonde wig and colorful women’s outfit, which I suppose is pretty normal for them. Their performance completely blew me away. Truthfully I only knew a handful of their songs and that memory was growing hazy. But, I it all came back to me when I heard “Suffer for Fashion” and those lyrics came to me and the rest of the audience as we sang, “it’s not supposed to happen like that… not like that.” People were jumping up and down to the highly danceable set and Barne’s voice was simply stunning. It was definitely THE performance of the night.

I stayed to catch British early shoegaze group Ride and had to back away from the stage because, My Bloody Valentine style, their music was a glorious wash of strong, loud sound. I also caught headliners Ween and while there were some funny moments mostly from the lyrics I heard in the set, they weren’t really my jam. Regardless, lots of people (probably your dad) were there to see Ween and they really did do it all… there was even a theremin on stage that I heard at one point! They ended their set on a soft note with the song, “Fluffy” (yes pun intended).

The next day I arrived still tired from having been up until 4 in the morning to write my Day One article for mxdwn. But I was super excited to see one of my new favorites Jay Som and get down to some stellar indie rock. The Bay-area foursome kept things cool and casual on the stage — it felt like we were just looking in on their rehearsal or jam session. The band members themselves were just looking at each other, smiling and being goofy, but man could they achieve that hazy, lo-fi sound that many indie bands can only dream of. They played my favorite from them, “Turn Into” and I head a new favorite as they played “Out Red Door,” which started softly and lead into a fuzzy jam session. The group posed hilariously as the stage rotated for the next band and the small but engaged audience laughed.

As I mentioned before, !!! definitely competed with of Montreal for most energetic set. Singer Nick Offer did an incredible job of engaging with and hyping up the crowd and joined the audience from the stage as many times as he could. Some of my favorites from the set included “Pardon My Freedom,” even if he was telling me to sick his dick. The song blended punk and electronic together in a way that was angsty and rad. But I also couldn’t help but feel the groove for “Freedom ’15,” a funky dance track.

Since I was on assignment to cover Digable Planets and Los Lobos, I wasn’t able to catch much of Peaches, but from what I saw she was wearing a pink feathered outfit and words like “this song is about my huge vagina,” or something to that effect, I’m sure made for an engaging performance.

Los Lobos had another dad rock audience, but their performance was filled with personality and George Lopez jokes too. What was cool about their set were the extra instruments they brought out on the more cultural songs like “Stained Behind the Glass” in which a harp player came out, and banda-based song “Rio de Tenampa” which called for rather enthusiastic clarinet, trombone and sousaphone players. They continued on as the stage turned, revealing tUnE-yArDs, who’s name spelling reminds me of how middle schoolers used to and maybe still do type on their iPhones and myspace.

To be honest, I was half annoyed that I would have to watch tUnE-yArDs, as my hazy memory of them included them singing “don’t you wanna be a rasta,” channeling my disdain for reggae. However, I’ll be the first to admit that I was just being judgmental, because their set was one of the most entrancing ones of the festival. The experimental-folk project of Merrill Garbus, tUnE-yArDs creates their sound with the use of vocal and drum loops that are set up on the spot. The band might almost be considered honorary shoegaze because of the time they spent looking down at their feet. It was incredible to watch this trio — Garbus would set up a loop featuring various harmonies and melodies, put it all together, and sing over it at times. The drummer would lock right into the rhythm too which I’m sure was not an easy feat. And while it’s probably not the kind of music I’d listen to in my spare time, it sure as hell was interesting to watch.

But the Long Beach stage was the most crowded it would be for final headlining act Sleater-Kinney. While this band has been around since the ’90s and Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker were integral in the riot grrrl movement, they’re probably even more popular now just because everyone knows and loves Carrie Brownstein in Portlandia. And while Tucker was the main singer, Brownstein certainly commanded a lot of attention with her high kicks and expressionist face. A lot of people seemed to know the lyrics and really got into the songs. Some of the more pop-y songs like “One Beat” had everyone jumping up and down. Brownstein’s skills on the guitar were spot on for their noise-rock in “Surface Envy,” as the two guitar players rocked hard and loud into the night.

The sets each night ended promptly at 10pm and everyone cleared out promptly each night. Overall, it was a smooth and successful event that seemed to draw in a lot of the L.A. crowd, and I ran into people I knew from CSU, Long Beach, L.A. shows and even some family! Events like these give me even more prideful of being a Long Beach resident, and I look forward to what lineup Music Tastes Good will reveal for next year!

Check out my full articles on mxdwn:

Music Tastes Good 2017 Day One with Ween, Of Montreal and Alvvays

Music Tastes Good 2017 Day Two with Sleater-Kinney, Los Lobos and tUnE-yArDs

Music Tastes Good – A Lineup Filled With Flavor There was literally something for everyone at this year's Music Tastes Good Festival at the Marina Green Park in Long Beach, CA.

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Beach House and Fleet Foxes at the Hollywood Bowl

Beach House and Fleet Foxes at the Hollywood Bowl

It had been so long since I’d been to the Hollywood Bowl I’d forgotten just what a magical place it could be. I didn’t need to think twice, however, when I had the opportunity to snag a ticket to see two incredible bands: Beach House and Fleet Foxes. Beach House I had seen a few times before, so I was already prepared to be blown away by them once again. I was excited to also catch my first live…

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