Spinning Platters Picks Some Noise Pop 2010 Shows

This one man will begin a great week of music

It’s here! Noise Pop 2010 starts today with two excellent shows, and your first opportunity to show-hop. Start at Bender’s Bar for the happy  hour with Har Mar Superstar, and then cross the bridge (or better yet, take BART) to the Fox Oakland to see Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band. Many of your favorite Spinning Platters writers will be there. But then what? You’ve got a whole week of shows, and you’re not sure what to see?

How did we decide? It was simple. If one of our writers requested to cover a show, we’ve included it. Where is our staff hoping to see all of you? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Picks Some Noise Pop 2010 Shows”

Show Review: Vitalic at The Mezzanine, 2/20/10

Friday night I had my housewarming party. It was filled with Scotch and dalliances; to say the next day was rough would be an understatement. I had to use a strength rivaled only by Conan the Barbarian to get out of my bed. That morning also happened to be the day Vitalic was in town. Continue reading “Show Review: Vitalic at The Mezzanine, 2/20/10”

Album Review: Holly Miranda – The Magician’s Private Library

Listening to Jealous Girlfriends’ front woman Holly Miranda’s first solo album, I couldn’t help but think of an old Bjork interview referring to Debut and Post as her greatest hits albums.  They stood as a sparkling mesh of every style of music that piqued her interest.  And that is the energy trying to burst out here, traveling with Holly from one sound scape to the next. Continue reading “Album Review: Holly Miranda — The Magician’s Private Library”

New Release Round Up 2/16/10 – 25 Instant Album Reviews

Pouria will be referencing this album cover below.

Of the 25 albums I checked out this week I’m most looking forward to Scanners and Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three making their rounds in The Bay. Continue reading “New Release Round Up 2/16/10 — 25 Instant Album Reviews”

Album Review: Meaghan Smith – The Cricket’s Orchestra

Spinning Platters gets asked to review a lot of albums.  And the ones I’ve been hearing lately?  Awful. (Yes, I’m looking at you Nick Jonas.  Why couldn’t your solo album sound like this!?!).  So when I got an email last week from our managing editor Dakin asking me to review Meaghan Smith’s first album The Cricket’s Orchestra I was unsure to say the least.  But Dakin told me “She’s a Canadian singer/songwriter who is influenced by music from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s.  If you don’t like it, no one will and it would deserve a bad review.”  And I’m sure he’s right. Continue reading “Album Review: Meaghan Smith — The Cricket’s Orchestra”

Spinning Platters Podcast – Episode 17: Noise Pop 2010

Best Week Ever?

On the newest episode of the Spinning Platters Podcast, we welcome Dawson Ludwig from Noise Pop to talk about the upcoming 2010 Noise Pop Festival. Join us as we discuss our highlights of the festival, wonder about the history of the festival, talk about what we’ve been listening to, and go off in a million different directions. You can subscribe by clicking the giant button to the left, or listen below. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Podcast — Episode 17: Noise Pop 2010”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 2/17/10-2/23/10

Sharing a bill with Visqueen & 311 in Santa Cruz caused this goat to faint.
Playing at the Catalyst this Monday night.

As we warm up to the upcoming Noise Pop Festival, here’s a few shows to let you warm up your earplugs with.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 2/17/10-2/23/10”

2010 Fauxchella Lineup Announced!

Don't look like this guy. Enjoy Fauxchella instead!

Sure, you can reload Consequence of Sound three hundred times and find out the lineup for the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Then you could pay hundreds of dollars for a ticket, drive down there, find a hotel, deal with traffic, the heat, and worst off, end up wearing an umbrella hat.

You could also enjoy Fauxchella. What’s that? Continue reading “2010 Fauxchella Lineup Announced!”

Show Review: The Album Leaf at Great American Music Hall, 2/12/10

The Album Leaf performed to a sold-out crowd in San Francisco on Friday, February 12th.

There’s something unmistakably unique about the music created by San Diego-based multi-instrumentalist Jimmy LaValle. It penetrates your soul and lingers long after you’ve stopped listening to the electronically-tinged indie rock melodies that reel you in with inviting, ambient choruses. I got hooked after discovering “The Light” on The Hype Machine from their 2006 breakthrough masterpiece, Into the Blue, a year back. Continue reading “Show Review: The Album Leaf at Great American Music Hall, 2/12/10”

Spinning Platters Picks Six: European Pop Acts You Should Go See at SXSW 2010

Here's one of six bands you shouldn't miss in Austin this March.

You could go to SXSW and see lots of indie buzz bands from Brooklyn. If that’s your thing, great! As for me, I’ll be running around Austin chasing down the chance to see bands from other countries visit our shores, sometimes for the first time, sometimes for the only time. (I even have a tradition of seeing a band I’ve never heard of, from a country I’ve never been to. Give this one a shot.)

So if you go to Austin, and want to hear the best of pop music from the Old World, make sure to check out these six bands.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Picks Six: European Pop Acts You Should Go See at SXSW 2010”