Best Coast – The Only Place

Best Coast goes a little deeper than sunshine, weed and a beloved cat in their second album, The Only Place. Bethany Consentino and Bobb Bruno were burdened with high expectations after the release of their first album, Crazy For You, and in their sophomore album, they have attempted to change the perception of their music. This includes taking away some of the deliberate grunginess that Best Coast fans adored. However,… continue reading

Neon Indian @ The Paradise 5.11.12

You know the lead singer of a band is doing something right when two girls, in different intervals, climb up on stage in an attempt to grope him. Alan Palomo of Neon Indian was that singer at The Paradise on May 11. He handled the persistent women by politely smirking and wiggling free from their grasp while simultaneously adjusting synthesizers and wailing into the microphone. I don’t know whether this… continue reading

Maps and Atlases: A Q&A

If you aren’t already listening to Maps and Atlases then you clearly haven’t been reading Tastemakers long enough. Maps is a unique bands that combines a folk aesthetic with math rock experimentations. Their new album, Beware and Be Grateful, was released last month on Barsuk and they are playing this Friday (5/18) at the Middle East Downstairs. Some critics of the album have bemoaned its cleaner production, but talking with… continue reading

M83 @ House of Blues Boston 5.09.12

Apparently, Messier 83 has bass for days. M83 greeted a packed house with a barrage of neon beams, analogue synths, costumed cape-wearing wolves and ear-deafening bass during their performance at Boston’s House of Blues on May 9. Swedish band, I Break Horses, opened for M83 and performed in the same vein as the headlining group: breathy vocals from Maria Lindén and Fredrik Balck accompanied pounding bass lines supplied by their… continue reading

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros @ Roseland Ballroom 5.9.12

I’ll be honest and admit that the first time I heard “Home,” it was not sung Alexander and Jade of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. No, rather, a little girl and her father performed the song in what would soon become a viral YouTube video. Intrigued by the poetic lyrics, I looked into Edward Sharpe and took quite a liking to the band’s debut album Up From Below. So… continue reading

The Shins with Real Estate @ The Tower Theater 5.3.12

It is difficult to predict what James Mercer, master of the three-minute indie pop song and front man of The Shins, will do next. Two years after the 2007 release of the band’s Wincing the Night Away, he effectively fired keyboardist Marty Crandall and drummer Jesse Sandoval, leaving fans confused as to the future of The Shins. In September of 2009, he formed the project Broken Bells with Danger Mouse…. continue reading

A Q&A With Delta Spirit

San Diego’s Delta Spirit have been winning fans over with their unique instrumentation ever since they started banging on trash can lids for their 2008 full-length Ode to Sunshine. And on their newest, self-titled effort, the five-piece is still trying new things, like recording in a converted church and working with renowned producer Chris Coady (Grizzly Bear, Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Tastemakers got a chance to catch up with the band before… continue reading

Jack White – Blunderbuss

Moldy | Stale | Edible | Fresh | Tasty!

Here are some things we know about Jack White: he’s the everything-but-drummer of The White Stripes; he’s the executive of Third Man Records; he still records everything on analog tape; he can make a functioning electric guitar out of plywood; he can solo so ferociously that his fingers bleed all over his guitar; he looked a little like Dave Navarro for a while; he’s frontman of The Raconteurs; he’s the… continue reading

Hot-chella

I’m not sure I’m sharing any new information when I say that Coachella was an amazing experience. It may have reached a high of 106F every day, but I have very few complaints. The festival ground is gorgeous but by the end of the weekend, the grass was dead and stuck to your legs when you sat down. The mountains and palm trees were a really nice change from Boston…. continue reading

Fun. w/ Miniature Tigers @ House Of Blues Boston 4.21.12

What’s the best way to describe a Fun. show? Well, it’s a ton of fun. The band hit the House of Blues on Saturday night playing to a sold out crowd. After the recent success of their latest single, “We Are Young,” I was expecting the crowd to be unknowing of the band’s other music, but boy was I wrong. Every person in the crowd was singing along, to each… continue reading