For their fifth anniversary, the San Diego branch of Chicago-based music venue House of Blues celebrated with an afternoon, all-ages show featuring Freelance Whales, Earl Greyhound, Shout Out Louds, and Ok Go. The “all-ages” aspect was evident in the awkward teenage poses of kids in the top balcony — and by what looked like an entire middle-school class, complete with chaperones, taking up the whole right corner. Continue reading…
Shout Out Louds could have been just another casualty of the sophomore slump. Their second album, 2007’s Our Ill Wills, was met with a tepid reception by fans and critics, who criticized it for being over-produced and lifting too heavily from bands like The Cure.
Those complaints have been silenced with Work, the Swedish band’s triumphant return to form. Shout Out Louds have never sounded this driven or vital, thanks to some captivating, no-nonsense arrangements, adhesive melodies, and Phil Ek’s gleaming production.
San Diegans will get to experience Work standouts “Walls” (MP3), “Fall Hard,” and “Show Me Something New” on May 22nd, when the rejuvenated band joins Freelance Whales and Ok Go for an afternoon show at House of Blues. Tickets for the event can be purchased here.
We sat down with multi-instrumentalist Bebban Stenborg to discuss Shout Out Louds’ revamped approach. Continue reading…
Three hot bands, two large mammals, and one cannibalistic instrument converged at the Casbah last Tuesday night, when Freelance Whales, Bear in Heaven, and Cymbals Eat Guitars swung through to represent New York City. Continue reading…
Does anyone remember an album called Funeral, released by a then-unknown band called Arcade Fire? I know you’re racking your brain to remember. Do you remember how you felt when you first heard it? The sheer jubilation you enjoyed when the anthemic chorus erupted and subsided, sending chills down your spine? Some might say this is a stretch, but I experienced that once again listening to the album Reservoir, by yet another unknown band named Fanfarlo. Continue reading