On his 35th studio album, Tempest, there are times when Bob Dylan still has his storytelling style going strong but also moments when he sounds like a frail parody of himself. Most lyrics are commendable …

Following a commendable opening set from Dostoevsky-referencing Ivan & Alyosha, San Diego’s Heavy Guilt took the stage and showcased a bevy of absorbing new material. It was a sickeningly sweaty night at the Casbah that …

Doseone has played many parts over his 25-year career. He's been an avante-garde philosopher for Deep Puddle Dynamics, memento mori muser with Germany-Oakland hybrid 13 & God, psych-spellbinder through Subtle, and something entirely new and …

Following a compelling backstory as long as the song itself, Floridian emcee Bleubird launched into “Giehe 1977,” which chronicles a small Italian village and the home in which his great uncle was shot by Nazis. …

Serengeti has followed up one of 2011's most moving records, Family and Friends, with the absurdist tale of Kenny Dennis. Written from the perspective of Serengeti's 45-year-old alter ego, a bratwurst-gorging, sports-crazed Chicagoan, the Kenny …

Following a loose, impressive opening set from Unknown Mortal Orchestra, San Francisco's Girls plugged in at the sold-out Birch North Park Theatre, a venue that has operated as everything from movie theater to playhouse to …

Canadian wordsmith Buck 65 returned to San Diego on a warm February evening five years after his last visit. Approximately a third of the Nova Scotia–bred artist’s set featured the lovely Marnie Herald, whose pristine …

As one of the most devoted followings in modern music lost their collective shit upon Cake's emergence from the backstage curtain, the Sacramento band kicked things off with the molasses drip of "Sad Songs and …

Keeping in stride with the ethos conveyed by recent releases from crew members P.O.S. and Sims, Doomtree brazenly scatter their forward momentum theses across the 12 tracks of No Kings. With five hyper-literate and boundary-testing …

The opulent, gold-tinged walls of Copley Symphony Hall let each note fight for space with Jeff Tweedy's soothing howl as Wilco played a flawless, riveting two-hour set. Touring in support of The Whole Love, the …

New Year's Eve festivities at the Lafayette Hotel drew an interesting mix of guys who never wear suits wearing suits and femme fatales in arch-destroying heels. The condensed heat of the Lafayette Room was the …

Beginning with 2008's Attack & Release, each subsequent Black Keys record has taken their sound a step further away from its garage-rock origins. While some purists may decry the Danger Mouse-influenced shift to a more …

Virtuosity is the name of the game when the Louisville-based My Morning Jacket takes the stage. The band's dynamic instrumentation makes it impossible to tell where one note ends and the next begins, where the …

While peddling fare such as the burdens of loneliness and self-loathing, Andrew Jackson Jihad also explores the plight of the homeless en route to one of this year's most human releases. Through 16 folk-punk constructions, …

The anthemic "Rainbow in the Dark" and irony-laden "Michael Jackson" kept heads bobbing to the stoner Zen of Das Racist, Brooklyn's funniest export. Lines like "Urban Dictionary is for demons with college degrees" struck the …

The expansive indie rock of Grouplove spilled over the brightly lit San Diego Bay as the audience aboard the Hornblower kicked Halloween weekend into high gear. The band, which was formed during an artists' residency …

After a cluster at the gate that resulted in my photographer being denied entry, I was ushered to my seat just in time to catch the crystalline opening notes of nine-piece behemoth Bon Iver. Blanketed …

While the acoustics of Rimac strived for mediocrity, Death Cab for Cutie found a way to stretch their sound over a Division II basketball court on a brisk August night. A mellow, mid-tempo outfit at …

On Beirut's third full-length, the seasoned vocal cords of Zach Condon sing of longing and wandering in a pixilated world out of reach. The Baroque instrumentation that has defined the band's sound remains, but here …

It takes a strong set of binoculars to see past North County privilege and beautiful women in stupid hats to catch the new Seaside Stage at Del Mar. Only those with focus could ignore the …

By the time the soundman got the mix right, which was about four songs into the set, a near-capacity crowd had climbed over numerous spilled drinks and filled every nook and cranny of the Belly …

Death Cab for Cutie's latest release is defined by awakenings in sound and trajectory. It is almost unrecognizable when compared to the earlier work of a band that spoke to a decade of teenage angst …

Most current rock acts would be brought to their collective knees by a whimpering sound system. While the unflattering acoustics of 4th&B could have spoiled the evening, Tunde Adebimpe and his TV on the Radio …

TV On The Radio's yearlong hiatus allowed its members to explore creative avenues. From Dave Sitek's synth-heavy Maximum Balloon to Kyp Malone's eclectic Rain Machine record to Tunde Adebimpe's first mainstream acting role (Rachel Getting …

Controlling a crowd's attention is a talent. Controlling its emotions is a feat. The curvilinear patterns of French composer Yann Tiersen and his superb backing band — orchestral at times and psychedelic at others — …

After years of paying dues in various groups and collectives, Onry Ozzborn has put Northwest hip-hop on the map. His experiments in varying degrees of morose expressionism turned an artistic corner with the release of …

Sam Beam, the heavily bearded indie virtuoso better known as Iron & Wine, has mastered the craft of the beautiful sad song. His folksy songs tell withered tales of loss and longing. Carrying these songs …

It's remarkable how savagely drunk some people get at the most mellow of concerts. Somewhere between the Jello shots and middle-aged women screaming during choruses like boy-band groupies, Amos Lee played an intricate, relaxed set …

Los Angeles beat scene mainstay Baths brought his one-man show to the sold-out Loft and kept the twentysomethings swaying to his unique electronic melodies. His play list consisted of down-tempo collages such as "Lovely Bloodflow" …

Tapes ’N Tapes lead vocalist Josh Grier possesses a buoyant, elastic delivery that coils itself around whatever emotion a given song calls for. Cradled under mellow, precise chords reminiscent of Vampire Weekend, this formula breeds …

Ocean Beach multitudes packed the thin walls of Winstons to catch a glimpse of one of San Diego's promising new bands. Those on hand for the Heavy Guilt's last show of 2010 were privy to …

Going into a mainstream rap show, not to mention one featuring a longtime crew on a reunion tour, you shouldn't be all too surprised when they hit the stage over four hours late. Palpable anger …

Between thick layers of glossy production, Kid Cudi delves into matters of the psyche untouched by mainstream rap. One can draw a comparison to Eminem's recent work in terms of rapping about drug addiction, but …

Minnesota hip-hop duo Slug and Ant are back with a double EP of instrument-infused indie rap. On To All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy, Slug has become the Bruce Springsteen of the genre, …

After years of delay and a label change, Big Boi's solo career is finally out of the gate. While Sir Lucious is a solo record, Speakerboxxx found Big Boi operating under the Outkast framework with …