James Mercer

The Shins - Gibson Amphitheater - October 2, 2012

The Shins GibsonAmphitheater October 2, 2012  Many fans of The Shins began to grow wary of the indie outfit's direction as each of the original members left the band over the last few years. Though James Mercer has always been the bandleader, it's never the same without the original l ... More >>

[UPDATED With a Comment From the Real Echo Echo] Echo Echo May Have Some Competition From James Mercer's Fictional Band

Portlandia/IFC​Steve Carson, Echo Echo's frontman, said the band was well aware of the show using their  name. In a phone interview he said, "The producers of the show contacted us to asked permission to use our band name last year and permission was granted.  I'm not sure if they are ... More >>

Aimee Mann to Play Coach House (Plus: Five Best 'Portlandia' Cameos Inspired by Mann)

​Singer songwriter Aimee Mann, whose soulful piano torch songs dripped with emotion in the 1999 movie Magnolia, will be touring the West Coast this August. Her musical journey will see her playing of all places zoos in Seattle and Portland, but the tour will start right here at Orange County's own ... More >>

Record Review: Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, 'Dark Night of the Soul'

​The Hype: By now, any Mark Linkous fan worth his/her sparkle has studied, read about and certainly pirated Dark Night of the Soul (out today on Capitol Records). Originally set for release by Linkous (a.k.a. Sparklehorse) producer Danger Mouse and filmmaker David Lynch back in 2009, this mam ... More >>

Cool Covers: The Shins, Owen Pallett And More

Andrew YoussefOwen Pallett at Coachella​[via Pitchfork]There's been a slew of cool cover songs floating around the interwebz lately; I especially like the A.V. Club's web series "Undercover" and Levi's Levi's Pioneer Sessions. Yesterday I watched Owen Pallett perform a watered-down version of Guid ... More >>

Last Night: Broken Bells at the Music Box

Andrew Youssef​Click here to see our slideshow.The Hype: A lot of excitement was generated upon the announcement of the collaboration between James Mercer of The Shins and producer extraordinaire Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton in the form of Broken Bells. It was the second night of their tour ... More >>

Happy Avi Buffalo Day! Part 1: An Album Review

​The Hype: Today's unveiling of Long Beach indie pop darlings Avi Buffalo's full-length, Sub Pop debut couldn't have come at a better time. The sun is out, the birds are chirping and young, twitterpated hipsters are already jonesing for a soundtrack to their summer. 

CD Review

Band of Horses, Cease to Begin (Sub Pop)

Prince among Men

Will Oldham sees darkness in our celebrity-mad world

New Music