Saturday, April 19, 2025
The Cosmic Clash

indie rock

LCD Soundsystem KBP 5
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Kilby Block Party days two and three featured LCD Soundsystem, The Postal Service with Jenny Lewis

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The fifth Kilby Block Party celebrating 25 years of Salt Lake City’s most beloved DIY venue, Kilby Court was as good as billed last weekend as the upstart music festival concluded days two and three with standout performances not only by headliners LCD Soundsystem and The Postal Service with Jenny Lewis but scene-stealing sets by Belle and Sebastian,  CSS, Pond and Santigold. Not since Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest has there been a mid-tier sized festival as well run, booked and executed.

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Kilby Block Party 2024
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Kilby Block Party on day one featured Vampire Weekend and a host of gifted female performers

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In Salt Lake City one of the most beloved and revered music venues is Kilby Court, the tiny, DIY performance space for which the Kilby Block Party music festival is named. Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the legendary club, organizers and venue operators, S&S Presents are also marking the fifth year of the festival with another stellar lineup that attracted fans from all over the country to the Utah State Fairpark for what is turning out to be an incredible weekend of musical performances. Friday’s lineup included Vampire Weekend and a host of gifted female performers including; Joanna Newsome, Courtney Barnett, Alvvays and Blondshell among others.

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Chicano Batman APF 2024
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Eclectic Austin Psych Fest returned to Far Out Lounge last weekend

Case Cockrell 1680 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

The Spring installment of Austin Psych Fest returned last weekend to the Far Out Lounge & Stage for a three-day, two-stage, no-overlap experience that brought over 30 acts to Texas for an eclectic weekend of music from all across the trippy psychedelic spectrum. Event organizers, Levitation was, in part founded by local psych rock revivalists, The Black Angels, but the local organization has become much more over the years.

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Austin Psych Fest Mad Alchemy lights Emi
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Seven more acts to see at Austin Psych Fest this weekend

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The second edition of the revived Austin Psych Fest is coming up fast. With an all-star lineup from all over the psychedelic and indie rock spectrum, different acts from all over the world will make their way to South Austin at Far Out Lounge & Stage’s massive backyard for a two-stage, no-overlap, three-day rock and roll shindig. With more than 25 artists performing over the weekend of April 26-l28, there will be no shortage of music to discover while including Levitation mainstays such as festival founders, The Black Angels, West Coast psych punk berserkers Frankie & The Witch Fingers, Aussie shredders Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, and more. Here are seven more acts The Cosmic Clash team has handpicked as must-sees for the end-of-April festivities. Tickets and set times can be found via the Levitation website here. 

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AlbumDaniel SalasReview

Album review: Semihelix has a new seven inch EP out that will revive your faith in indie music

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Rock music is doing just fine thanks to artists like Semihelix. Based in Austin, Semihelix play a mix of American indie underground of the 80s with a smidge of C86 jangle-pop with their chiming guitars, driving bass lines and dreamy vocals. Semihelix has been in the scene over 12 years comprising of mastermind and founding member Geannie Friedman on guitar and vocals, along with long standing comrades Mike Cota on bass and Valdermar Barrera on drums. This solid EP release comes with three bangers; “Slower Pace,” “Renovate” and “Downstream” released on Strawberry Pancake Records.

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Deerhoof
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Eclectic musical gathering Wizard Rodeo marks third year at The Long Time

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Wizard Rodeo isn’t a rodeo for spell-casting wizards.. There aren’t any wizards, horses, bulls, lassos, or anything like that there

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Black Lips at Parish
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Atlanta garage punks Black Lips rocked Parish with Gus Baldwin and Death Party

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Atlanta’s Black Lips have kept this dream alive since the label’s dissolution. Since embarking on numerous tours and album cycles since 1999, the garage outfit has been a musical binge since their inception. With a stage show that goes the lo-fi, rocking distance, there was never a dull moment on Friday night at Austin’s Parish in the city’s East Side. 

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Nation of Language
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Nation of Language treated Scoot Inn crowd to sublime synth rock vibes

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Brooklyn’s Nation of Language treated the Scoot Inn crowd last Thursday to an 80s synth rock influenced masterpiece of of a show. The upstart trio who got a huge boost in the midst of the Pandemic with 2021’s A Way Forward which garnered streaming fans far and wide. The record’s success also got the band slots at ACL Festival last year where The Cosmic Clash witnessed an early afternoon set at a minor stage that impressed despite the less than ideal setting in the heat of the Texas afternoon

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