The place where pop and art intersect eludes most seekers. Some ambitious bands aim for the sweet spot and overshoot grossly. More commonly, a group disdains one dimension in favor of the other. Too arty for the mainstream yet too accessible for the purist, alternative rocker Thurston Moore is…

Kyle J. Kohner checks in with his own list of the best albums of the year. The first part includes ALCEST, Patriarchy, slowthai, Rico Nasty & Kenny Beats, Danny Brown, Tōth, Richard Dawson, Kim Gordon, Weyes Blood, Deliluh, Chasms, Better Oblivion Community Center, Chemical Brothers, Billie Eilish and Mount…

Thurston Moore Group performs at The Chapel in San Francisco on Dec. 16, 2019. Onome Uyovbievbo/Staff. SAN FRANCISCO — The Chapel hosted Thurston Moore Group Monday for an arty and unusual experience. Alternative rock icon Thurston Moore led a formidable assemblage of credentialed bohemians, including My Bloody Valentine bassist…

Kim Gordon’s No Home Record reminds me a little of the episode of The Simpsons in which Barney, the town drunk—after a successful run in the local barbershop quartet—begins dating a Yoko Ono type. At the bar, she orders “a single plum, floating in perfume, served in a man’s…

One of the most difficult trials for a band comes when it doesn’t flame out in some dramatic fashion at the chaotic peak of its young career. Without this sudden breaking point arriving in the form of a plane crash, overdose or interpersonal strife, bands can plod along. Their…

Mono performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on June 5, 2019. Photos: Joaquin Cabello. SAN FRANCISCO — After the Japanese drone outfit Mono filed onto the stage at The Great American Music Hall to the soothing synthesized sounds of “God Bless,” the quintet launched immediately into…

Jon Spencer performs at Slim’s in San Francisco on Feb. 24, 2019. Photo: Ted Hand SAN FRANCISCO —  As it was Oscars night, Jon Spencer stood onstage toward the end of his set at Slim’s on Sunday and pulled an envelope from the pocket of his denim jacket. “The…

Thurston Moore performs at The Chapel in San Francisco on Sept. 19, 2018. Photos: Sean Liming. SAN FRANCISCO — After breaking up, some legendary bands trudge on, troublesome members replaced, until they’re spit out the bottom of the county fair circuit. Others atomize; the members scattering in order to…

Upon first glance, Thurston Moore’s Rock n Roll Consciousness appears to be an EP, including just five songs. Those songs, however, stretch and unfold to fill more than 40 minutes with experimental and expansive music that could only be created by Moore. Rock n Roll Consciousness Thurston Moore April…