Beach House, “Once Twice Melody.” Beach House, the dream-pop duo composed of lead singer Victoria Legrand and collaborator Alex Scally, returns after a four-year hiatus to deliver Once Twice Melody. For this outing, the duo crafted an expansive and literary narrative that tackles issues of fame, love, nostalgia and…

Nathaniel Rateliff has one of the best three-act stories in all of rock and roll. The Missouri native’s childhood was roiled by poverty and the tragic death of his father when Rateliff was just 13. Later, he moved to Denver and worked as a carpenter and gardener. The singer…

Clockwise from top left: Babymetal, Frankie Cosmos, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Brittany Howard, The Chemical Brothers, Holy Ghost!, Sharon Van Etten and Kurt Vile. Staff photos. Every year I make a “resolution” to see fewer shows. And each year by September, I am reminding myself of this resolution. Unlike most…

Jeff Rosenstock performs at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2018. Photo: Kyle J. Kohner. Would ya look at that? You’ve made it to the finale. If you are just joining us, please, don’t spoil the big reveal and go back to parts one, two, three and four to…

Mitski Kyle Kohner’s top 100 songs countdown reaches the finish line, with his 25 favorites. Catch up with part one, part two and part three here. 25. “4th Dimension” – Kids See Ghosts (Kid Cudi and Kanye West) Opened by an eerily distorted, but well-placed sample of Louis Prima’s “What Will…

Sharon Van Etten performs at Treasure Island Music Festival at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2018. Photo: Chloe Catajan. Kyle Kohner’s top 100 songs countdown gets one step closer to revealing his favorite song of 2018, with numbers 50 through 26. Catch up with part one and…

Photos: Chloe Catajan OAKLAND — Baltimore dream-pop duo Beach House opened its two-night stay at the Fox Theater with a sold-out show on Tuesday. Vocalist-keyboardist Victoria Legrand and guitarist Alex Scally, along with touring drummer James Barone, appeared as silhouettes, set against erratic stage lights. Beach House opened with “L’inconnue,”…

The number seven is one of perfection, security, rest and divine nature. From its usage in religious texts to the number of notes within the diatonic scale, the mystical nature of “seven” continues to fascinate. Diffusing into the membrane of popular music, this fascination is intensified by the equally…

Courtesy Kaique Rocha Happy New Year from the RIFF Team! We decided to do something a little different for our weekly Tuesday Tracks new music column. Below, we present to you 10 tracks to help settle in to the first day of 2018. Some of these are traditional, while some…

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Stepping foot on the grounds of McDade, Texas’ Sherwood Forest is akin to walking back in time. As the name suggests, the venue on the far-eastern outskirts of Austin is home to a Renaissance festival and features a giant keep, a Round Table, various wood caravans and a…