Navigating the beautiful abandon, enviable burden, and inevitable analysis of loving, “Tender Warriors Club” is an unyieldingly raw release from indie rock artist Lady Lamb. A nomadic adventure both in its catalyst and creative process, the singer-songwriter said she poured out her lyrics while wandering the globe and had gotten the idea of intentionally … Continue reading
[An abridged version of this post can be viewed at ReDigi’s music blog.] “Stars are never sleeping,” David Bowie mourns on his new track “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”, “They’ll burn you with their radiant smiles, trap you with their beautiful eyes”– a chilling criticism of celebrity and fame, though its far from the first … Continue reading
[The newly launched LadyClever.com originally hosted this post.] I’m late to the party, but Seattle hip-hop hottie Macklemore’s single “Thrift Shop” is kind of my anthem. (I won’t say it’s my jam, but if I were the sort of person who said that sort of thing, you’d know I was serious.) In the second verse when he … Continue reading
[ReDigi’s blog originally hosted this music news feature.] If you loved the Lovage, baby, you’ll love Pillowfight. Serial collaborator and super producer Dan the Automator is poised to make an impact with indie ingenue Emily Wells, a sort of sultry torch singer and violinist with hip-hop sensibilities. Last year her debut album Mama was acclaimed by outlets like NPR and … Continue reading
[This Artist Spotlight is originally hosted at ReDigi’s blog.] First picking up guitars and writing earnest expressions of emotions at only fifteen, over more than a decade identical twins Tegan and Sara Quin have developed a distinct and dynamic signature sound amid the often overwrought indie pop scene. After a few successful demos, the duo made their official … Continue reading
[Originally posted at ReDigi‘s blog.] Though no formal album announcements have come from his camp, pop royalty Prince continues to tease loyal fans with new tracks and surprise performances. The latest, “Screwdriver,” debuted on his website via an eight-minute video that will set viewers back two bucks to watch. He previously released another sultry appetizer, “Breakfast Can Wait.” In addition … Continue reading
[Originally printed in Performer magazine’s February 2013 issue.] Though they shine behind the scenes in Hollywood, putting music to television and film, David Klotz and Emily Cook have been back in the studio with their L.A. indie rock outfit, Fonda, and they’re primed to take center stage again. The band’s fourth LP Sell Your Memories is hitting shelves via … Continue reading
[“John Lennon” original oil painting by Leonid Afremov. Post initially hosted at ReDigi.] While early December honors John Lennon‘s life on the anniversary of his death (December 8) and his haunting sociopolitical commentary turned Christmas song “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” floods the airwaves for the holidays, it’s actually the apt transitional season of fall that holds many milestones for … Continue reading
With the 2012 election looming, it’s critical that women are being heard and music is a great place to start. The “War on Women” is a blanket term for the innumerable ugly ways the politicians and talking heads prove again and again that they find the fairer sex to also be the more feeble sex. Women have to listen … Continue reading
[My Throwback music columns are originally hosted on the ReDigi.com blog.] Auteur David Fincher, known for such dark and engrossing directorial endeavors like Fight Club, Se7en, and more recently The Social Network and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, got his start in the now nearly lost art of music videos. From pillars of pop music like Paula Abdul, Michael Jackson, and Madonna, to … Continue reading
[In this week’s Redigi Throwback, I talked about movie trailers and their music. ] Director David Fincher knows how to pair music with movies. The haunting Scala & Kolnacy Brothers chorale cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” in the trailer for his film The Social Network perfectly evoked the ironic loneliness of modern means of connection. While Trent Reznor and Karen O‘s wonderfully writhing … Continue reading
[A favorite novel’s transition from page to screen prompted me to discuss its music for this week’s Redigi Throwback.] Stephen Chbosky’s 1999 critically-acclaimed novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower showcases a shy suburban freshman, known only as Charlie, narrating the formative experiences of his life by penning intimate letters to an anonymous individual. Sociological issues such … Continue reading
[For back-to-school season I picked five fun songs to discuss in this week’s Redigi Throwback.] Back to school. It makes you both cringe and smile a little each time you see it on TV or in a movie; kids eagerly picking out new threads or dreading hand-me-downs, stocking up on school supplies, contemplating ”Who will … Continue reading
[I was fortunate to interview old school KROQ icon Darrell Wayne for LA Splash.] Best known to FM rock aficionados as “Insane Darrell Wayne” on L.A.’s world famous KROQ, Darrell Wayne is now an entrepreneur using modern media to find a new home for that classic FM format, founding his own successful station, KTHO. After decades of riding the airwaves, no one … Continue reading
[For my Redigi Throwback this week, I wanted to encourage Freddie For A Day participants and fans with a top five list.] Queen frontman Freddie Mercury‘s early-autumn birthday inspires legions of fans to celebrate his life by dressing in one of the musician’s iconic styles, known as Freddie For A Day. What a way to get away with wearing white after … Continue reading
[For my Redigi Throwback this week, I give props to the Generation-X gem ‘My So-Called Life’.] The demands of school work, hovering parental figures, annoying siblings, finding someone who’ll make out with you today but love you for-ever, and trying to fit in in a cruel world where non-conformity can either be social suicide or a … Continue reading
[This week’s Redigi Throwback is nod to some of my favorite nineties nonsense, Sifl & Olly.] Hear me out on this one. Though, arguably, artists in their own right, MTV’s silly and sardonic sock puppet duo Sifl & Olly also served as one of the last links to real rock (rock!) during the music channel’s … Continue reading
Casandra Armour 