For Los Campesinos!, honesty is key

British indie-rockers are particularly explicit on ‘Hello Sadness’

There are plenty of detailed personal accounts of problematic relationships on Hello Sadness. There’s also a song about the agony and ecstasy of football (that is, soccer).

Wednesday, February 1,2012
Music

Dr. Dog let loose on new album

Is ‘Be the Void’ the roots-rockers’ very own ‘Kid A’?

By Alex Zaragoza

Though it’s been a slow climb, the band’s built up a loyal fan base thanks to constant touring and a steady stream of new material— six albums since 2002, including their latest, Be the Void, which hits shelves on Feb. 7.

Wednesday, January 25,2012
Music

Fujiya & Miyagi are artful dodgers

Minimalist rockers are full of ideas

By Reyan Ali

Their songs are meticulously arranged, driven by slinky, clear percussion and guitars that sound like they’re rearing up to knock you in the skull (but never do). Their piano lines twist and twirl with economical movements.

Wednesday, January 18,2012
Music

San Diego’s Mr. Brady throws a slumper party

On new EP, prolific hip-hop producer offers an ode to his hometown

By Quan Vu

This month, Crowel will drop Welcome to the City, a self-released digital EP that finds him collaborating with a young, untested local producer named AbJo.

Wednesday, January 11,2012
Music

The Body is all fire and brimstone

Doom-music duo is dark, hypnotic and prepared for apocalypse

By Peter Holslin

The world of The Body is a dark one, indeed. The duo’s captivating hybrid of metal, experimental noise and choral music has won accolades from Pitchfork, NPR and The New York Times. But while plenty of bands don’t practice the darkness they preach, these two avid gun collectors— King and drummer Lee Buford—share a doom-centric frame of mind.

Wednesday, January 4,2012
Music

Facing closure, the Ché Café calls for help

Fund-raising effort helps pull all-ages venue out of a financial crisis

By Peter Holslin

Scraping by on a shoestring budget, the Ché Café Collective, the all-volunteer group that runs the venue, is struggling to raise $12,000 for insurance fees.

Wednesday, December 28,2011
Music

Not one, but five No. 1 albums of 2011

Our writers share their favorite releases of the year

By Seth Combs, Jeff Terich, Quan Vu, Sammi Skolmoski, Peter Holslin

We music writers at CityBeat have diverse, sometimes wildly divergent tastes. So, it’s hard for us to say what album deserves to be called the best in 2011.

Tuesday, December 20,2011
Music

Lil Spank Booty rocks the cell

Street rapper records music in prison with a trusty phone

By Quan Vu

An Emerald Hills Blood from San Diego, League weaves tales of crime and poverty with sharp insight, vivid detail and empathy for those who’ve been cast farthest away.

Wednesday, December 14,2011
Music

The rise and (eventual) fall of Sam Goody in Horton Plaza

Incoming Downtown park spells the end for the music retailer

By Peter Holslin

Sam Goody is not going to be around for much longer. The building the store sits in is slated for demolition as part of a City Council-approved project to expand the adjoining park at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Broadway.

Wednesday, December 7,2011
Music

Joshua White follows the music

Up-and-coming jazz pianist isn’t ‘comfortable unless it’s uncomfortable’

By Robert Bush

It’s no wonder why White is quickly becoming the most talked-about jazz musician in San Diego. Ask any of his cohorts and they’ll agree that he has incredible technical facility, a commitment to exploratory principles and the ability to hear and respond on the deepest possible level.