Cigarettes After Sex, “X’s.” Greg Gonzalez of Cigarettes After Sex cuts straight to the chase when it comes to the meaning of X’s. He briefly references it in an intimate verse on the album’s opening track. It calls out Bert Stern’s Marilyn Monroe crucifix photos, taken weeks before her…

Rachel Goodman’s favorite alt-rock and alt-pop songs of the year for 2019 include The Dandy Warhols, The Knocks, Nilüfer Yanya, Strand of Oaks, Sharon Van Etten, Better Oblivion Community Center, Kirin J. Callinan, Mikal Cronin, The New Pornographers, Jenny Lewis and Cigarettes After Sex. Rounding up my favorite songs…

Cigarettes After Sex, “Cry.” Visual teasers of each new track led to the release of Cigarettes After Sex‘s sophomore album, Cry. They consisted of black-and-white soap opera cutaways, burning cars and occasionally NSFW content while the songs served as ominous motifs. Vague, elusive, anachronistic and sensual—this imagery is as much…

Tame Impala performs at Treasure Island Music Festival at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2018. Photos: Chloe Catajan OAKLAND — Everything was a haze. Tame Impala closed out 2018’s Treasure Island Music Festival in what felt like a dream state. A hypnotic swirl on the “The…

Photos: Nick DeCicco SAN FRANCISCO — If anyone thought time might soften Shirley Manson, think again. Manson’s stubborn, no-holds-barred, feminist views were on full display during Garbage’s two-hour Saturday at The Masonic. “Up yours, Donald Trump!” she shouted as a prelude to “Sex Is Not the Enemy.” That sounds on point…