February 26, 2011
By Anand Balasubrahmanyan at 7:44 pm
When Waka Flocka Flame's "Hard in Da Paint" bangs out of your radio, you can instantly tell why he's America's most divisive top 40 artist. read more →
May 6, 2010
By Anand Balasubrahmanyan at 4:12 pm
Editor’s note: Like we said, on occasion, a little culture with your politics. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0UmvbCUb5Q[/youtube] Three weeks ago PubliCola got a tour of the almost-open Columbia City Theater in Columbia City. Our guide to the new live music venue? Grand Hallway’s Tomo Nakayama, a friendly indie folkster with a taste for chamber pop. The Theater was [...] read more →
April 21, 2010
By Anand Balasubrahmanyan at 2:56 pm
If you’re feeling self destructive, Deer Tick are probably the band to go on a new-lows bender with. read more →
April 17, 2010
By Anand Balasubrahmanyan at 4:31 pm
Maybe enigmatic scuzz-pop-pioneer Blank Dogs has got it right. While his lo-fi contemporary, Wavves, uses his public persona to chastise the Portuguese while on uppers, Blank Dogs has stayed nearly hidden, content to let rumors that he wears only gauze during live performances play themselves out. read more →
April 12, 2010
By Anand Balasubrahmanyan at 2:39 pm
Two days before tonight’s the xx show at the Showbox Sodo and I was listening to the band for the first time. As a music journalist, this is incredibly irresponsible: the South London trio has been the most critically adored new indie of the past year, their blend of post punk minimalism and understated RnB [...] read more →
April 9, 2010
By Anand Balasubrahmanyan at 3:35 pm
Live, Hair Envelope are a bizarre force. Effect pedal ambiance lurches along to drummer Billy Hoover’s titanic grooves. What comes next is up the the whims of a particularly whimsical band. Maybe the local trio will all adopt falsetto and project a looney tune pop masterpiece. Or maybe front-man Matt McDowell will become Sax-man Matt [...] read more →
By Anand Balasubrahmanyan at 1:29 pm
Last night the Ruby Suns and Toro y Moi, two of indie-electronica’s leading glow sticks, gave Chop Suey a night of sleepy dance number and then—a surprise wake up call. First was Toro y Moi, the adorably shy alter ego of South Carolina’s Chaz Bundwick. He rarely looked at the audience and cloaked his voice [...] read more →
By Anand Balasubrahmanyan at 1:14 pm
Cool News: It looks like there is going to be a new live music venue in Columbia City! Or more accurately, The old Columbia City Theater is reopening. It’s set to open on June 25. They don’t have a website yet, (they do have a facebook page) but here are the details: Their talent Buyer [...] read more →
April 6, 2010
By Anand Balasubrahmanyan at 2:05 pm
The unlikely New Zealand-Sup Pop connection just keeps getting stronger. First, the label that once brought you Mudhoney’s Superfuzz/Bigmuff and doom/drone masterpiece, Earth 2, went and signed Wellington funny men Flight of the Conchords, and now they’ve added Ryan McPhun, aka Ruby Suns, to their kiwi contingent. It’s not totally out of the blue, Sup [...] read more →
April 1, 2010
By Anand Balasubrahmanyan at 11:22 am
Art by Ilan Schraer Big Spider’s Back is bringing chillwave—Internet shorthand for psychedelic bedroom pop filled with samples, retro synths and hazy nostalgia—to the Conor Byrne Pub this Thursday. The band draws from the same trippy influences as the nascent genre’s leading lights, channeling Animal Collective’s dance and new age signifiers. They also fall into [...] read more →
March 30, 2010
By Anand Balasubrahmanyan at 11:13 am
A member of Pittsburgh’s eccentric pop collective, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Tobacco knows his way around a psychedelic vocoder hook. But on his own, his productions take on sleazy glamor, inspired less by indie rock than hipster rap. That’s an awesome thing, as Tobacco’s party-starting synth squeals prove the genre can make more than just [...] read more →
March 29, 2010
By Anand Balasubrahmanyan at 1:51 pm
All photos by Jennifer Haller Cymbals Eat Guitars, Crocodile, 3/28/10 I got to the Crocodile just in time for secret surprise openers Cymbals Eat Guitars (The band had a no compete clause in their contract with Sasquacth so they couldn’t advertise their appearance). Here is something I’ve noticed: In every Seattle crowd there is at [...] read more →
