Ra Ra Riot recently roared back to recognition with their fourth album, Need Your Light[Barsuk]. The group’s sophisticated, yet bubbly take on pop music has been a stalwart favorite here among us at Neat Beet. Their appeal soars quite wide, as the band successfully sold out Webster Hall on their tour supporting this new record. Not only […]
Radiation City, out of Portland, are a dream pop band I’ve held in high esteem for a long time. I’ve loved the sound they cultivate, which sometimes give off an anachronistic vibe in their records, which is exhibited well in previous singles, “Zombies” or “Find It of Use“. Their third album just came out, Synesthetica […]
New York guitar pop fixture Eleanor Friedberger has been busy recently. Maybe you know her as half of The Fiery Furnaces from the aughts, but she is more known recently for her solo career, which just added its third album, New View, now on Frenchkiss Records. It continues her style of sophisticated, catchy music. Correlating with this release is a national […]
Ezra Furman’s third solo album, Perpetual Motion People, was a highlight last year for rock music fans. At first glance, the record gives off a vibe of a melodic, unhinged pop sound. It’s sublimity is that it’s far more than that, fusing classic era sounds against that energy. The point really comes across on gems like “Lousy Connection“, though the […]
I caught wind of the guys in rising New York band Ula Ruth just earlier this week with a heads up to their catchy single from last month, “Strung Out“. The four-piece style themselves as a moody, urbane form of indie rock. 2016 ought to be a year for them to seek to establish themselves around an […]
Shea Stadium is always a viable proving grounds for catching emerging rock acts, and this Winter night was no exception. Pinegrove, a troupe of rocking New Jerseyans, headlined a collection of loud, and energetic acts. The venue was full the whole night through, and the crowd around me seemed to be shifting regularly, suggesting a […]
Baby’s saw a night of rising rock this weekend, starring the enigmatic Car Seat Headrest, whose merits sold out the venue. That band is the project of Will “Toledo”, a Seattle-based DIY musician who caught Matador’s attention with his prolific collection on Bandcamp and devotion to his craft. He released Teens of Style back in September as his label […]
Amid the sadness of Cameo Gallery’s closure, I found joy in one of the best bills of local stars around. Mr Twin Sister & Ava Luna, both of whom we’ve photographed headlining sold out gigs on their own merits, announced a show together with a surprise guest to bid Cameo a proper goodbye. Chairlift’s identity was kept relatively secret […]