If you haven’t adopted too many resolutions, consider adding this one to whatever you’ve already got lined up: resolve to go see more live music in 2015!
As this month’s podcast shows, January offers plenty of killer concert offerings, including a number of local bands with new albums. Tiaras is comprised of former members of stellar groups Ganglians and Blasted Canyons—the new band is more than just a sum of those parts, though, soaring on a dynamic, melodic sound. Happy Fangs has been building a buzz around SF for a while now, and the trio’s debut LP, Capricorn, delivers punchy, energetic noise pop. And while the Soft White Sixties don’t have a new record, the ascendant rock and roll group is sure to thrill during their Wednesday night residency at the Brick & Mortar Music Hall all month long.
Cult of Youth describe their latest album, Final Days, as “post-industrial Pet Sounds,” a nod to how dense the group’s gloomy post-punk sounds. On the folkier side of things, Natalie Mering provided vocals on Ariel Pink’s Mature Themes, and her commanding voice is front and center in Weyes Blood. Mering just released her second LP under that moniker, The Innocents, on Mexican Summer. Finally, we don’t normally include a lot of string groups on the podcast, but, then again, most string groups don’t have as much of an interest in indie rock as the Portland Cello Project, whose latest album, to e.s., is a mix of Elliott Smith covers and new works inspired by Smith’s music.
Enjoy the podcast—and then go see some concerts!
About the bands: