Grandaddy Overlay the Past on ‘Sumday: Excess Baggage’
Grandaddy’s Sumday: Excess Baggage is worthwhile for its temporality, arriving two decades removed from Sumday and being all the more affecting as a result.
psychedelic rock
Jim Morrison’s Spoken-Word Effect
Jim Morrison, a startlingly seductive figure, was at once impish and grandiose, the sly trickster enemy of all the straight moralists and self-righteous prigs, a confident voice ready to be summoned to your side of the argument.
Dead & Company Shine in Finale at San Francisco’s Oracle Park
A three-night run at the San Francisco Giants’ ballpark finds Dead & Company at the top of their game, leaving the fans grateful.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Light Up Summer Solstice at the Hollywood Bowl
The world needs more bands who will tell their fans the truth and speak truth to power, like King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
The Doors’ Well-Told Story Still Contains a Lot of History and Mystery
In the shadow of the “Happy Together” decade, Bob Batchelor’s the Doors’ biography Roadhouse Blues explores the dark and gloomy side of Jim Morrison and the band.
Phish Torch the Greek Theater in Triumphant Return to Berkeley
Phish’s dazzling sonic alchemy in the improvisational second set shows why the Vermont tone scientists remain at the cutting edge of what live music can be.
The Mars Volta Reimagine Themselves As an Acoustic Latin Ensemble
The Mars Volta’s Que Dios Te Maldiga De Corazon has the same tracklisting as The Mars Volta but presents acoustic arrangements of each song.
Bob Weir & Wolf Bros Walk the Golden Road at the Guild Theater
There’s a historic vibe in the air of going down the “Golden Road” to the origins of the Grateful Dead in Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros Trio’s show in San Francisco.
Mudhoney Confront Fascism and Little Dogs on ‘Plastic Eternity’
The theme of survival forms the subtext of Mudhoney’s Plastic Eternity and topics of environmental crisis, overrun capitalism, and anti-democratic politics.
Altın Gün’s ‘Aşk’ Is a Satisfying Return to Classic Anatolian Rock
The new Altın Gün album Aşk makes it clear where they are headed: back to their retro roots, bringing forth the sounds of classic 1970s Anatolian rock.
Aussie Shoegazers Flyying Colors Brighten Things Up on ‘You Never Know’
Flyying Colors find their sweet spot on You Never Know, augmenting shoegaze’s aching coolness to form a potent and satisfying mix.
Purling Hiss Take the Piss Out of Mainstream Rock on ‘Drag on Girard’
Purling Hiss’ Drag on Girard carries on a long-standing tradition of revisiting and updating the garage rock canon to extend its legacies to the next level.