THE SPRING ISSUE
Posts Tagged ‘vol 23.4’
Rebel Rebel
Fringe dress by Jasmine di Milo, Denim hot pants by Paul & Joe, Platform sandals by Gucci Bleached denim jacket by Ksubi, Plexi dress by Stella McCartney, Chain necklace by Maria Francesca Pepe, Boots with Swarovski crystals by Bernard Chandran Bomber jacket by Ashish, Denim bikini top by Girls Must Have, Denim shorts by Sass & Bide, Belt from Start London Swimsuit by […]
Genius in the Glitter
ITEMS PURCHASED/CONSTRUCTED FOR THE OF MONTREAL, SKELETAL LAMPING FALL TOUR: One giant foam rock, four ready-made cowboy costumes, 100 cans “Great Stuff” insulating foam sealant, one fake upright piano, one Centaur costume, one custom-fabricated rotating steel riser, 24 breakaway bottles, one gilded roman litter, one 300 pound steel gallows on wheels, one human-sized pig costume, […]
White Light White Heat
On him: Vest by Levi’s, Shirt by American Apparel On her: Vest by Alexander Wang, Body stocking by Leg Avenue On him: Vest by The Cast NY, Tank top by American Apparel, Jeans by Diesel, Necklace by Chris Habana, Stylist’s own belt On her: Jacket by Alexander Wang, Body stocking by Leg Avenue, Jeans by Tiger Lily Vest by William, Body stocking by Leg […]
Kid Cudi
Eclipsing the Record Industry’s Preconceptions Scott “Kid” Mescudi’s music doesn’t really fit the profile of rap, at least not in the most common sense of the word, and one should hesitate before simplifying his sound by calling it that. Then again trying to place it into some type of “post-genre genre” that doesn’t even really […]
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker’s Un-Ironic, Post Post-modern Rock Moment A rock and roll band took over an art gallery in Paris this May, setting up camp for five days. They rehearsed, provided the background music for yoga classes, and played for a children’s event. In between downward-facing dog poses and puppet shows, they also performed for the gathering masses, […]
Sirens of Rock
Three pop singers get trapped in an elevator. This is fate’s way of creating a supergroup. Here at SOMA we drew names from a lotto at random. The following ladies are our lucky winners. The next Ronettes as dictated by probability… Allison Mosshart, started her first band in the eight grade. Unlike most teenage punk […]
Zach Condon
Zach Condon’s voice is as sure as a sunset. The 23-year-old songwriter and singer of Beirut has a delivery as refined as Serge Gainsbourg, and a croon reminiscent of Yves Montand. But while he is still young by music industry standards, his rise to the spotlight did not happen overnight.
The Strange Boys
The Strange Boys occupy, appropriately enough, a weird space in music. A quick listen and one might label them as just another ramshackle member of the garage rock revival from the early 2000’s. And with such a forgettable name, you might assume they were that band from O Brother Where Art Thou? Even their album […]
Pink Mountaintops
You would never peg Stephen McBean as the sensitive type. While he may be better known as the songwriter behind the theatrical psychedelic revival of Black Mountain, his personality better mirrors the folksy nostalgia of his more personal project, Pink Mountaintops. Outside Love, the latest from the Canadian-based outfit, oozes heartache, pain and hate nearly […]
Helado Negro
From the opening song that is the Tropicalia-infused sweetness of “Venceremos,” Roberto Carlos Lange’s new solo album under the moniker Helado Negro rocks and lulls like a hammock swaying in a cool ocean breeze. As it should—the Prefuse 73 musician has been busy mining the fields of Latin American lullabies for his new album, Awe […]
Rainbow Arabia
Rainbow Arabia are like a pair of musical chemists in this new world. Mix one beaker full of English post-punk, add one vial of traditional Middle Eastern folk, throw in some ‘90s American optimism; then set the resulting concoction to a dance beat. Danny Preston, who started the project with his wife, Tiffany Preston, explains: […]
Gang Gang Dance
The band Gang Gang Dance (GGD) is like a thunderstorm: dramatic, powerful, and energized. After a build up, when voltage accrues and focuses, lightning strikes. Sometimes the effects are beautiful, and other times they are completely devastating. Explosions have defined the band’s musical evolution. Lightning killed an original member; a recent tour fire destroyed all […]
Jeremy Jay
If there were to be a remake of the 1985 John Hughes flick Weird Science with two bookish girls creating their perfect heartthrob via computer, rather than two ‘80s era nerds creating Kelly Lebrock, Jeremy Jay would surely land a starring role. Because, by all outward appearances, he is a Godard-loving, Modern Lovers-listening indie girl’s […]
The Golden Filter
Merely saying that 2009 has been quite a year for The Golden Filter would be a massive understatement. It’s rare, if not completely impossible, that an American-based duo with a desire to keep their anonymity, who write songs almost entirely with electronic sounds, and whose personal philosophies are the exact antithesis of the current generation […]
Mission Creek Music Festival
The Mission Creek Music & Arts Festival: Evolving and Explosive A once-navigable subterranean creek, originating from the foothills of San Francisco’s Twin Peaks region and curving east towards Mission Bay, quietly flows beneath San Francisco’s Mission District. Above ground, indie kids, yuppies, and bohemians party and promenade on the bustling city streets, having no idea […]
Classical Music Finds a Home
Love letters from a revolution Art school boho-chic: meet the original acoustic sensation. Before indie rock, before punk, before rock ‘n’ roll; before anything you love right now, there was classical. And let’s be honest – old school revivalism has gotten a lot of play lately. But this music is old old school, and it’s […]
Neon Nightlife
Three international clubs reinvent the party scene Le Baron de Paris / Tokyo Hidden on a quiet stretch in fashionable Aoyama, Tokyo’s Le Baron de Paris is where the highbrow, design obsessed go for a little late night fun. Outside, a glowing neon pink “B” lets you know you’ve found it. Run by a diverse […]
Nur Kahn
Gatekeeper of Cool: Nur Kahn There are those who know how to work a room, and those who make the room work. Nur Kahn has made a science of this practice. Over the last decade, Kahn’s vision and concepts have set new precedents on the nightlife scene. He’s been credited with creating some of NYC’s […]
Skid Row’s Facelift
The Rebirth of Downtown LA has people asking, “Who’s LA’s Publicist?” Downtown LA was once a city of grime and Skid Row, crack addicts and street walkers; not to mention, the best place to buy a knock-off Rolex. But now, the historically-noir town has become revamped, its image transformed by cleaning up the streets and […]
An Axe to Grind
Davis Guggenheim and Three Generations of Rock Documentarian Davis Guggenheim gives a brief history of the electric guitar, as explored through the eyes of three rock goliaths in his latest feature film. To the careless observer, It Might Get Loud bears some of the ostensible trappings of what we’ve come to know as the “rockumentary.” […]
Cocknbullkid
Could Anita Blay inherit the crown of U.K. pop? As is often the case with superheroes, there is a tendency to preface the hero’s birth by a natural occurrence, such as a bolt of lightning, earthquake, or, of course, a meteor. The scenario goes something like this: a meteor crashes to Earth; around the fiery […]
Akwaaba Music
Third World Sound to First World Ears Akwaaba Music founder Benjamin Lebrave doesn’t feel comfortable with the term “fair trade,” nor with the category known as “world music.” Yet for the uninitiated, it’s the easiest way to describe the fledgling, unorthodox music label that splits net profits 50/50 with its African music licensees and distributes […]
Street Pulse: Portland
They say that you can walk down any Portland street, on any given day, throw a rock, and hit a musician. Here at SOMA we don’t encourage throwing rocks at the rock stars, but we did send local resident and contributing photographer, Anthony Georgis, to toss a few questions to some of best and […]
Patrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf Bares His Teeth… and Feathers The music industry’s fashion atmosphere can be one of stark contrasts, for it is one of insufferably style-less, beardy bores like Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses on the one hand, and gloriously ostentatious types like The Dresden Dolls and The Horrors on the other. In the midst […]
