Traps PS- Peer Review
This song is from LA band Traps PS‘s 2025 album, Abstractor.
They will be playing at The Smell in Los Angeles on Friday 6/20/25, with The Two Seasons and Practice. The show is a benefit for Immigrant Defenders Law Center.
The Beach Boys- Good Vibrations
Brian Wilson, musician, singer, songwriter and producer passed away today at 82. As a member of The Beach Boys he helped create some of the most famous music of 1960s America, and also arguably one of the best and most influential albums ever made, Pet Sounds.
Good Vibrations was released as a single the same year as Pet Sounds but was left off the album. It is one of the songs that best exemplifies Wilson’s unique production style.
A little more on the song from Wikipedia–
Promoted as a “pocket symphony” for its complexity and episodic structure, the record had an unprecedented production and expanded the boundaries of popular music, elevating its recognition as an art form and revolutionizing standard practices in studio recording. It is considered one of the greatest works of rock, pop, and psychedelia.
Wilson was inspired by the concept of extrasensory perception, Phil Spector‘s production of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’“, and recreational drugs, possibly including LSD, in creating the song. He produced dozens of music fragments (or “modules”) with his bandmates and over 30 session musicians across four Hollywood studios from February to September 1966. Over 90 hours of tape was consumed, with production costs estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars, making it the costliest and longest-to-record pop single at the time. The resulting track subverted traditional songwriting conventions through its use of development, a process normally associated with classical music, and abrupt shifts in texture and mood.
One of the most influential pop recordings in history, “Good Vibrations” advanced the role of the studio as an instrument and effectively launched the progressive pop genre, heralding a wave of pop experimentation and the onset of psychedelic and progressive rock. The track incorporated a novel mix of instruments, including cello and Electro-Theremin; although the latter is not a true theremin, the song’s use of the instrument spurred renewed interest in theremins and synthesizers. The flower power-inspired lyrics reinforced the Beach Boys’ association with the 1960s counterculture, while the phrase “good vibes”, originally a niche slang term, entered mainstream usage.
Rest in Peace.
In 2016, Taylor Mac performed his immersive 24-Decade History of Popular Music in a theater in Brooklyn for a full twenty four hours. Normally performed in sections, this was the first and only time this had been done. Decade by decade, from 1776-2016, the history of popular music and the history of America merge, with a decidedly queer slant.
The documentary, directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, includes footage from the show combined with interviews with Mac, his incredible costume designer Machine Dazzle, his musical director Matt Ray, and his co-director Niegel Smith. Although Mac is the main performer, the show includes a stage full of musicians, additional singers, and his “Dandy Minions” who can often be found offstage interacting with the audience. Mac’s desire to draw people together and build community is highlighted during several moments focused on the audience’s participation.
Throughout the many hours, performers leave the stage for good leaving only Mac by the end of the show. This is meant to mirror the losses from the AIDS epidemic. Even with only a small selection of these moments, you can feel the effect this creates.
Inventive, beautiful, funny, and often moving, this documentary provides a small taste of the performance and will leave you wanting more.
Mac’s costume for the 1980s
Taylor Mac and Machine Dazzle
Mac’s costume photo shoot for the 1950s
Mac with an audience member
Panchiko- Honeycomb
This song is from Panchiko‘s 2025 album, Ginkgo.
The band is playing at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Saturday, 6/14/25 with Kitty Craft.
Sister Gemini- One Room Apartment
This single above, released in 2024, is from Los Angeles based artist Sister Gemini.
She is opening for Scout Gillett at Gold Diggers in Los Angeles on Friday, 6/6/25.
Mogwai- Fanzine Made of Flesh
Every month I listen to the majority of bands and musicians who are playing in Los Angeles and select some for a monthly playlist. It includes a variety of genres and usually newer work by the artist.
The song above is from Scottish band Mogwai‘s 2025 album, The Bad Fire.
Below are April’s selections-
Dutch Interior- Fourth Street
This song is from LA band Dutch Interior‘s 2025 album, Moneyball. They will be playing at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California, on 5/29/25.
Fun fact- the band took its name from Dutch Interiors, a series of three paintings modeled from postcards, created by Joan Miró in 1928.
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory- “Afterlife”
Sharon Van Etten, with new band The Attachment Theory, released their eponymous album this past February which includes the song above.
They are currently on tour and playing in Los Angeles at The Wiltern on Wednesday, 5/21/25, with Love Spells.
Florist- Have Heaven
This song is from Florist‘s latest album Jellywish, released in April of this year. The animation for this video was done by Kohana Wilson.
The band is playing at Lodge Room in Los Angeles on Friday 5/16/25, with Allegra Krieger.
Panda Bear- Praise
This song is from Panda Bear‘s first solo album in five years, Sinister Grift, which was released in February of this year.
On Saturday, 5/10, Panda Bear will be playing the Just Like Heaven festival in Pasadena. There are several great bands on the lineup including- Vampire Weekend, Courtney Barnett, The Drums, Toro y Moi, Perfume Genius, Of Montreal, Beach Fossils, Slowdive, and more.