Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Jorja Smith keeps knocking out banger after banger. “With You” is a bright and happy tune perfect for detaching from the stress of life, holding your loved ones, and enjoying the sun. It’s delicate and just housey enough that it’s got a sexy groove without being, well, annoying.
Jorja Smith is playing Outside Lands on Sunday evening (6:50 / Twin Peaks Stage), and I can’t wait to hear this one in Golden Gate Park.
I get scared when a member of a band I like mysteriously goes “solo.” I noticed that Julia Kugel Montoya of The Coathangers, a brilliant punk band, was releasing a solo album, I initially wouldn’t listen to the single. It took me two weeks, and I’m gutted I missed two weeks with “Bound.” First of all, it sounds NOTHING like The Coathangers. But this song is GORGEOUS!!! It’s a stunning, intense ballad. You can’t mosh to it, but you easily cry to it.
“Bound” is the first single off Julia, Julia’s Sugaring The Strawberry, which is out September 9th. Preorders are available here. Although full tour dates have yet to be announced, she will be playing a free festival, Happy Sundays, curated by Julia herself, in Long Beach on August 23rd & 24th.
90 seconds of build-up. That’s it. 90 seconds is NOT the perfect song length. “SOME WOLVES,” however, is a perfect metaphor for the reality of life. It’s simply unresolved tension that hangs there with no resolution. Which is right where we are living- everything is tension upon tension, and the closest we can get to relief is a new tension.
So fucking good.
“SOME WOLVES” is the lead track off torpedo’s latest record, What the fucked do we all do now |- Lights, the perfect album title the fuckery of now, and happens to be out NOW on Broken Clover Records.
West Coast Tour Dates began, um, yesterday?
TORPEDO – LIVE 2025:
07/10 San Diego, CA – The Tower Bar
07/11 San Pedro, CA – The Sardine
07/12 Los Angeles, CA – The Redwood Bar
07/13 Palmdale, CA – Transplants Brewing
07/15 Visalia/Fresno – TBA
07/16 Santa Cruz, CA – The Crepe Place
07/17 Sacramento, CA – The Press Club
07/18 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
07/19 Chico, CA – Naked Lounge
07/20 Eugene, OR – John Henry’s
07/23 Portland, OR – High Water Mark
07/24 Yakima, WA – Bearded Monkey
07/25 Bremerton, WA – The Charleston
07/26 Bellingham, WA – The Shakedown
07/27 Seattle, WA – Substation
I almost ignored this one. The headline of the press release said “Former Fulbright Scholar,” which is a cool and interesting achievement. I honestly thought it was some SPAM. Then I re-read it and saw that it truly the best way to describe this project. Texas Native Amanda Pasacli has taken the classic Sicilian folk song “E Vui Durmiti Ancora,” flipped the gender, translated it into English, and gave it a stunning, Roy Orbison-inspired arrangement. I keep wanting to replay it. And then use it to scare the last bit of hair off Stephen Miller’s head when he hears an American singing a bilingual song. And then they learn that they are actively curious about other cultures and enjoy surrounding themselves with diverse people.
“Wake Up, Baby! (E Vui Durmiti Ancora)” comes from Pacali’s upcoming full-length record,Roses & Basil. I’m pretty excited to hear more off this record.
Holy lofi!!!! The new Automatic single rips! Just bass guitar, drums, and vocals with the occasional synth flourish, and they lock into a perfect groove. I was wondering how they would fit in on the usually funk-oriented Stones Throw Records, but they are clearly here to outfunk everyone.
“Is It Now?” is the first single off their upcoming album of the same name. Tour Dates are up here, and hopefully, a Bay Area date is in the cards.
This song… It’s honey-soaked, mildly rockabilly, and so hot that I want to jump in the pool that’s in the background of this video. “After The Fact” is one of those perfect Summer jams. Syd’s voice is timeless, and that guitar is perfection. Aside from the F-bombs in the chorus, this could’ve come out any time in the last 80 years and fit in perfectly.
“After The Fact” comes from Syd’s upcoming record, ALSO called After The Fact, available June 25th!
“Alive” is a jangle garage confection that is making me feel all sorts of bubbly and good. And “good” is really hard to reach these days, so it’s great to face something that can push the serotonin up the right amount of notches- not aggressively happy, not sad, just kinda content. Think Black Rebel Motorcycle Club or The Raveonettes or something that would fit in during your favorite 90’s britpop dance night.
“Alive” is the first single off GHOSTWOMAN’s latest record, Welcome To The Civilized World, hitting your eardrums on September 5th. Prepare accordingly.
I’ve secretly loved The Beaches for a while now. “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid” is already on my shortlist for best song of the 2020s. It’s DEFINITELY the most 2020s song of the 2020s. Two nights ago, in a fit of anxiety, I preordered the Canadian power-pop group’s upcoming record, no hard feelings, (out August 29th), and I don’t regret that investment. This morning, I lamented the fact that they haven’t announced tour dates. WELL!!!!!!!!!!!
They’ve got a full tour underway this fall! Plus a few select Summer dates and DJ Night Free Parties?!!?! Full dates below the jump, and the amazing Annie DiRuisso is joining for many of these shows!
Last Girls at the Party DJ Set Dates:
June 7 – NYC
June 11 – Toronto
August 2 – Montréal
THE BEACHES LIVE DATES
June 6 – The Governors Ball Music Festival – New York, NY
June 14 – Buffalo AKG Art Museum – Buffalo, NY
July 20 – Minnesota Yacht Club – Saint Paul, MN
July 29 – Churchill Park Music Festival – St. John’s, NL
July 31 – Kee to Bala – Muskoka, ON
August 3 – Osheaga Festival, Montreal, QC
August 7 – Sziget Festival – Budapest, Hungary
August 8 – About You Pangea Festival – Ribnitz-Damgarten, Germany
August 9 – Schanze Open Air – Hamburg, Germany
August 15 – 17th – Lowlands Festival – Biddinghuizen, Netherlands
August 17 – Pukkelpop Festival – Hasselt, Belgium
August 29 – Rolling Stone Presents Gather No Moss @ The Salt Shed – Chicago, IL
Sept 17 – KEMBA Live! – Columbus, OH
Sept 18 – Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN
Sept 20 – Shaky Knees Festival – Atlanta, GA
Sept 21 – The Ritz – Raleigh, NC
Sept 24 – Roadrunner – Boston, MA
Sept 25 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
Sept 26 – All Things Go Festival – Columbia, MD
Sept 27 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
Sept 29 – Webster Hall – New York, NY
Sept 30 – Webster Hall – New York, NY
Oct 2 – Royal Oak Music Theatre – Detroit, MI
Oct 4 – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre – Indianapolis, IN
Oct 5 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
Oct 8 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK
Oct 10 – Fillmore Auditorium – Denver, CO
Oct 11 – Rockwell at The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
Oct 14 – The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ
Oct 15 – The Sound – San Diego, CA
Oct 17 – Fox Theater – Pomona, CA
Oct 18 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
Oct 19 – The Warfield – San Francisco, CA
Oct 22 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
Oct 24 – Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre – Victoria, BC
Oct 25 – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre – Vancouver, BC
Oct 27 – Edmonton Expo Centre Arena – Edmonton, AB
Oct 29 – Grey Eagle Resort & Casino – Calgary, AB
Oct 30 – Grey Eagle Resort & Casino – Calgary, AB
Nov 1 – Burton Cummings Theatre – Winnipeg, MB
Nov 2 – Burton Cummings Theatre – Winnipeg, MB
Nov 5 – The Arena @ TD Place – Ottawa, ON
Nov 6 – Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON
Nov 9 – Centennial Hall – London, ON
Nov 10 – Centennial Hall – London, ON
Nov 13 – Scotiabank Centre – Halifax, NS
Nov 15 – Casino New Brunswick – Moncton, NB
Yes. I love Wet Leg. And, since I run a music blog, I’m allowed to fanboy out whenever they do anything. So I wanted to tell you that they have another guitar-crunchy gem of a single, “CPR,” ahead of their upcoming release, moisturizer. It’s so good.
The usual preorder/presave/range of fancy versions can be preordered here. They are also doing listening parties all around the world, complete with prizes, giveaways, and all sorts of fun stuff. You can find those stores here, but a special shout-out to our friends at 1234 Go! in Oakland! You can RSVP to their event here, which will be on 7/10 at 5 pm. I will be there! I’ll be the long haired, bearded fellow with glasses. So the guy that looks like he’s in the band.
Oh- and don’t forgot to buy tickets to moisTOURizer ASAP since most shows are sold out: Continue reading “NEW WET LEG SINGLE! LISTENING PARTIES IN THE USA! YAY!”
You don’t get a lot of country music on Spinning Platters. I don’t *dislike* the genre, but it takes something really great to connect me. Great country music is vivid storytelling that brings you someplace else. “Elderberry Wine” takes you to someplace very warm and inviting and inclusive- the kind of place that everyone wants to find for themselves, but is often unattainable. This song is a thing of beauty, and I can’t stop listening. The fact that Wednesday have historically given us Sonic Youth-level thunder makes this song even more surprising. But you need the loud with the soft to survive.
