Xiu Xiu at the Casbah San Diego – Live Photos

Experimental synth rockers, Xiu Xiu came to rock the Casbah this past Wednesday, March 17, 2010 in San Diego. From noise, synth-pop, fuzzy guitar textures, ambient and many more luscious sounds, Xiu Xiu amazed the crowd with an epic show. Check out the live photos of Xiu Xiu below!
Photos: Big Swig

Big Star Bandmates to Perform Alex Chilton SXSW Tribute Featuring M. Ward, Mike Mills and More

If you’re at SXSW, you should not miss this amazing tribute they’ve lined up for the late and great, Alex Chilton.
Big Star members Jody Stephens, Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer are still performing as planned at SXSW this Saturday at Antone’s. The band will be paying tribute to their fron-man, Alex Chilton, who died earlier this week of a heart attack. The show will go on with the surviving members serving as a “house band” for guest musicians of R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, the dB’s founder Chris Stamey, John Doe and [...]

“Animals in Bloom” by Big Light – Album Review

Photo: Jay Blakesberg
For a debut album, Big Light has an impressive shine, polish and cohesion on their rock infused, “Animals in Bloom.” The San Francisco foursome blends a mix of trendy rock with elements of psychedelic, folk and even pop. Taking inspiration from bands such as My Morning Jacket and Wilco, they capture elements from more established groups while maintaining a sense of themselves.
It’s impressive to hear such polish and focused sound from a band that is releasing their first album together. (Not to mention, Big Light’s first show was [...]

First Listen: “Tighten Up” Off The Black Keys’ New Album “Brothers”

Check it out! Our friend Brucini, a die hard Black Keys fan down under in Australia has posted the first single (or is it?) to The Black Keys’ heavily anticipated new album “Brothers.” Listen to “Tighten Up” over at TheBlackKeysFanLounge.com inclusive with a brief interview with Dan Auerbach by influential BBC radio DJ Zane Lowe.  And guess what? “Tighten Up” is a Danger Mouse produced track! Not surprised there …
The shit’s sounding all sorts of steezy smooth!
Listen to “Tighten Up” here!

SXSW Day 1 Photos: Roky Erickson with Okkervil River, Freelance Whales, Frightened Rabbit and More!

Photos: Kara E. Murphy

ROKY ERICKSON with OKKERVIL RIVER

FRIGHTENED RABBIT

FREELANCE WHALES

FREE ENERGY

GEOGRAPHER

Lykke Li Premieres New Video for “Possibility” in Celebration of her 24th Birthday Today!

Our favorite Swedish songbird, Lykke Li has released a new video today in celebration of her 24th birthday! The video is for the delicately gloomy piano ballad “Possibility,” her contribution to last year’s “Twilight: New Moon” soundtrack. Shot in classic black and white it’s a dark beauty. Check it out!

Jay-Z and Jack White to Collaborate on a New Record

To suck or not to suck, that is the question. I never liked the fusion between rap and rock, but I do like the coming together of hip-hop and indie rock (trust, there is a difference). According to GQ, Jay-Z and Jack White have collaborated on a record! WTF?

“I just did a record with Jay-Z,” said White. “We did a song together a few weeks ago. It was incredible. I played him something that I’ve been kicking around for a while and he immediately came out with words for it. [...]

Check Out VBS TV’s “Skate Europe Season 2” – Part 1 in Italy

Our friends at VBS TV have released the first segment of their five-part “Skate Europe Season 2.” The crew does a shredding tour of Italy meeting up with Italian skaters Ale Martoriati, Alessandro Gargiulo, Giorgio Zattonni, Max Bonassi and Claudio Bernardini. Hitting on the the whole Italy skate scene from the 80s all the way to the present day, it’s an interesting look at skating.
Besides the Milano Centrale train station and Giorgio Zattonni, there probably is not much the general skate public knows about Italian skateboarding. These guys might not [...]

Omar Rodriguez Lopez of Mars Volta Debuts “The Sentimental Engine Slayer” at Tribeca Film Festival

Looks like Mars Volta’s, Omar Rodriguez Lopez is gearing up to debut a pretty cool flick at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival, April 21 – May 2, 2010. The film titled “The Sentimental Engine Slayer” was written and directed by Rodriguez Lopez.
While “The Sentimental Engine Slayer” is not his first venture as a director — he also created two unreleased films, 2001’s “A Manual Dexterity” and 2003’s “Letters from Dystopia” — it is his first feature released to the public.
“The Sentimental Engine Slayer” tells the tale of the overdue coming [...]

“Big Echo” by The Morning Benders – Album Review

San Francisco indie outfit, The Morning Benders are winning the musical hearts of indie snobs everywhere with their sophomore effort “Big Echo.” Their new album and Rough Trade debut is one of the most pleasant and alluring I’ve heard in a long time. It’s like a sonic massage to your ears that delivers a magical musical orgasm!
Opening up with “Excuses” an enchanting track that has an Etta James flair with its romantic violins and lovely soundscapes, The Morning Benders kick-off “Big Echo” in a captivating way. “Excuses” is totally classic, [...]