Indie Rock and Indie Pop

Vampire Weekend Keeps Its Distance at the Fox Oakland, 4/17/13

By JAMES ROBINSON Vampire Weekend Tanlines Wednesday, April 17, 2013 Fox Theater, Oakland Better than: The Vampire Diaries, Interview with the Vampire, Twilight and True Blood (but not, however, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Vampire Weekend, punching its ticket on a short jaunt between Coachella ap ... More >>

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My Bloody Valentine's mbv: A First Listen

This'll be a bit perverse, but so will every review. I'm not My Bloody Valentine's No. 1 fan but I do love them, and not just the timeless pyramid Loveless. More so than any other critics' band, I've never thought their legend annoying enough to feel the temptation to backlash. Their singles and EP ... More >>

Simian Mobile Disco: Show Preview

Animal Collective Faces the Strange

Yeasayer: Show Preview

Live Review, 7/27/12: Dirty Projectors Churn Out Focused Chaos at the Fox Theater

Dirty Projectors Wye Oak Friday, July 27 2012 The Fox Theater, Oakland Better than: Pretty much all other paradox-driven art-indie experimental post-rock you could come up with. Go ahead, try. If a live performance by Dirty Projectors sounds frenzied and disorganized -- if the cooing harmonies an ... More >>

Dirty Projectors' Swing Lo Magellan: A First Listen

By BYARD DUNCAN Out this week is Swing Lo Magellan, the third full-length from arty Brooklyn six-piece Dirty Projectors. Given the heaps of both acclaim and disdain inspired by the band's last effort, Bitte Orca, we're interested to see if this new one continues the polarizing pattern. Let's give i ... More >>

Sigur Rós' Valtari: We Imagine What Scenes the Soundtrack Kings' New Album Will Set

We've read interviews with music supervisors -- those folks responsible for selecting, negotiating, and placing music in television programs, movies, and commercials -- where the questions centered on topics such as licensing agreements, working relationships with filmmakers, and general inspiration ... More >>

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First Aid Kit on Discovering Roots Music Through Bright Eyes, and Growing Up in a Punk Household

Standing on the precipice of mainstream acclaim, the sisters comprising the Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit are among an emerging generation of musical disciples of bands like Bright Eyes and Fleet Foxes, whose own sound is a modern twist on traditional American country. It's a little bit of an unlik ... More >>

The Creators Project: Show Preview

Live Review, 2/23/12: Built to Spill at the Fillmore: Beloved, Virtuosic, and Shy

Christopher VictorioBuilt to Spill at the Fillmore last night​ Built to Spill Sister Crayon Feb. 23, 2012 The Fillmore Better than: Headbanging and singing along with the guitar solos on Perfect From Now On by yourself in a car with shitty speakers. At the intersection of "excruciatingly s ... More >>

Jordan Kurland's Top Five Noise Pop Memories

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Christopher O'Riley and Matt Haimovitz: Show Preview

Noise Pop Adds Wye Oak, the Dodos, and More to 2012 Festival Lineup

Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack​ Noise Pop isn't like other music festivals, which usually announce their entire lineup at once. Instead, the bills for San Francisco's premiere indie music gathering are announced over months, giving fans continuous excitement -- and perhaps a little anxie ... More >>

Bon Iver Turns Up the Volume at the Greek Theatre

Joseph SchellBon Iver's Justin Vernon at the Greek Theatre last night.​ Bon Iver Other Lives September 22, 2011 Greek Theatre Better than: Thursday night network TV premieres (but don't forget to set the DVR). The Campanile bells of the University of California at Berkeley, solemnly tolling ... More >>

Dinosaur Jr. Is Going to Play Bug and Talk to Henry Rollins at the Fillmore

Dinosaur Jr.​ One only complains about the bandwagon of bands playing classic albums live until the trend hits a band and an album they love. And so we bet this news will shut many of you naysayers up: In December, Dinosaur Jr. is going to perform the 1988 album Bug in its entirety at the Fill ... More >>

Girls' Father, Son, Holy Ghost -- A First Listen

​ I've been everywhere with the San Francisco band Girls: Love 'em, hate 'em, find them overhyped, find the detractors overly cynical. I think they like it that way. Girls' hugely-acclaimed 2009 Album blew me away for a week. Then I found myself having trouble rekindling that need to hear it a ... More >>

Treasure Island 2011 Lineup: Death Cab, Empire of the Sun to Headline

​This year's Treasure Island music festival will be headlined by Empire of the Sun on October 15 and Death Cab for Cutie on October 16. As the headliners suggest, the first day will lean more heavily toward electronica, while the second will be more indie rock-ish. This year will be the festiv ... More >>

Outside Lands Announces Local Food and Wine Lineup w/ Flour Water, Ritual Coffee, More

Christopher VictorioBecause this will make you hungry.​ Outside Lands has always made an effort to bring in highlights of the local food and wine scene to festival goers. Every year the offerings get a little bigger, and this year's festival is no different. For its return to a three-day forma ... More >>

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Check Out a Free Mini-Mix From the Diary Emo/Pop-Punk Party at Pop's Bar

​Diary is a monthly party at the inimitable Pop's Bar featuring the best in late-'90s and early-'00s emo, pop-punk, and screamo. Starting this week, Diary -- which is put on by Patric Fallon, an occasional SF Weekly contributor and expert blogger over at XLR8R, along with Kristopher Hannum -- will ... More >>

Animal Collective's Henry Miller Library Show Moved to Santa Cruz; More Tix Onsale Thursday

Is Animal Collective laughing in the face of Mother Nature, or laughing at the fact that they'll now sell more tickets?​Mother Nature, you are a saucy bitch. First, you offer us a sweet place like Big Sur's Henry Miller Library to have shows. The place books a concert for the beloved weirdo band A ... More >>

Starfucker Channels Disco-Pop Forerunners at Rickshaw Stop

Starfucker at Rickshaw Stop last night.​Starfucker Unkown Mortal Orchestra March 9, 2011 @ Rickshaw Stop Better than: Naming a child with an obscenity. Ladies, I'd like to introduce your Passion Pit/MGMT stand-ins. Scream softly, please. But listen up: don't tell Mom and Dad what you're snea ... More >>

S.F. at SXSW: Six Bay Area Artists to See in Austin

Neutral Milk Hotel Members Will Get Wacky for Elephant 6 Show

Noise Pop: Yo La Tengo Set Phasers To 'Nice' at the Fox

Christopher VictorioYo La Tengo and the Wheel of Destiny at the Fox last night.​Yo La TengoThe UrinalsFebruary 22, 2011@ The FoxBetter than: Paying $25 to see Pat Sajak do whatever it is he would do at the Fox. When, from time to time, I found myself wondering offhand what it was like at the Odd ... More >>

The salty tales of Tennis

This husband-and-wife duo sets a course for indie-pop sweetness.

Blisses B: Show Preview

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass: 10 Bands You Should Not Miss

​San Francisco's annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival is kind of like a choose-your-own-adventure novel. You could pick any number of themes to select the acts you want to see -- old punk pioneers, roots music up-and-comers, etc.-- and follow one through all three day's lineups. You coul ... More >>

Eight Great Moments In Musical Punctuation History

Courtesy nationalpunctuationday.com​September 24 is National Punctuation Day, at least according to a guy with a cape in Northern California. (He's still probably cooler than Lynne Truss.) Today is the day that we brittle purists may with impunity box the ears of apostrophe abusers, comma splicers ... More >>

Screen Rock

In Print: Francis & the Lights' iPad Album, Sammy Hagar is a Joke, All Shook Down Fest

Francis Farewell Starlite​Does the album matter anymore? Does anyone care? Do you know what a CD is? Okay, kidding on the last point (kinda), but clearly the music industry is looking for some new, marketable format to sell to music lovers. After all, CD sales ain't what they used to be, and it do ... More >>

Naked Bike Ride, Sonny & The Sunsets, 'I Get What I Want And Always Get It Again!'

The Prids​Oh you lucky Bay Area dweller. There is a glut of good, cheap shows this weekend - with bands playing light and jangly pop, crunchy psychedelic noise, and nearly everything in between. Get out of your bar-closest-to-home funk and explore all the great local venues you don't patronize eno ... More >>

Weekend Party Preview: Rock It Science, BFD Pre-Party

The Golden Filter​We know. Our list this week is a bit short. Usually we like to offer a myriad of choices for you to go out, get obliterated, and dance to whatever's awesomest through the weekend, but, you know, it's kind of a slow weekend. No worries, however, we've got a pick for Friday and Sat ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Band of Horses at The Independent

​Band of Horses @ The Independent May 29, 2010 Better than: A warm night in San Francisco. Ben Bridwell has made it clear he is a man of few words. After "hello" and "thank you" the Band of Horses frontman passed up any further opportunity for small talk Saturday night, and instead, powered r ... More >>

Concert preview: Roky Erickson & Okkervil River

Concert preview: Broken Social Scene

Metric

Slumberland Celebrates 20 Years of Dreamy Pop in SF/LA

Slumberland's Mike Schulman​A couple years ago, it seemed Oakland label Slumberland was having a resurgence as fans of twee, dream pop, and shoegaze started paying attention to Mike Schulman's roster, which he'd began building up back in 1989. Well a couple big buzz band hits later with Crystal St ... More >>

Track of the Day: Dirty Projectors' Free Digital 7"

​2009 was the year Dirty Projectors were everywhere, making so many best of lists it was hard to remember if you actually liked the group. Lest you forget about the band, the Projectors today announced a free digital 7" (which you can also buy if you prefer a limited-edition, higher-quality vinyl ... More >>

The Bridge School Benefit

Bridge School Benefit Announces Lineup

At the Bridge: Fleet Foxes​ The annual Bridge School Benefit lineup, which happens October 24 & 25 at the Shoreline Ampitheater, has been announced. In addition to mainstay and organizer Neil Young, this year's talent list includes Coldplay's Chris Martin, No Doubt, Sheryl Crow, Monsters of F ... More >>

J. Tillman slips out from under Fleet Foxes’ radar

Fiery Furnaces

Widow City (Thrill Jockey)