The Vaccines, “Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations.” British rockers The Vaccines strike the right balance on their sixth album, Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations, a record that effectively mixes their musical ingredients to create a dazzling melodic collection. While the band’s sound remains rooted in gauzy ’60s-inspired guitar rock,…

History proves an airtight case could be made for escapist pop music during bleak times. Though songs like “Revolution” and “Sympathy For The Devil” are mainstays for archival footage of 1968, in reality, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” dwarfed both in terms of sales and airplay in…

The Vaccines perform at Slim’s in San Francisco on Oct. 2, 2018. Photos: Gary Chancer. SAN FRANCISCO — U.K. garage rockers the Vaccines are at their best as a runaway semi-truck barreling at full-speed with the brakes out. That’s what fans at Slim’s got Tuesday night: a blistering set…

The Vaccines, courtesy. Following the tour supporting third album, English Graffiti, English indie rock band The Vaccines decided the 2015 LP was an ill-advised attempt to be something they were not. The journey back to their sweet spot was filled with false starts, the abdication of a member, difficult discussions…

Suburban Birds are a hazy, psychedelic and uniquely uplifting rock band from Salt Lake City. Three of the four members have been playing together since 2011. Following a self-titled debut EP released in 2015, for which they listed Tame Impala, Radiohead and The Zombies as influences, they hunkered down to record an…

Roman Gokhman’s Favorite Concerts of 2015 This is the second in a three-part series. Read the introduction to learn how I’m scoring my list and find out about my “special consideration” in PART 1. 10 – TAYLOR SWIFT at Levi’s Stadium – Aug. 14. At this point in her career,…

The Vaccines perform at Slim’s in San Francisco on Aug. 5, 2015. STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — A very rowdy crowd turned out at Slim’s for the Vaccines. I don’t think I’ve ever seen crowd surfers in the small club before. I still don’t understand how this band can headline…

Marina and the Diamonds perform on April 17, 2015 at the Warfield in San Francisco. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. This is the final part in a five-part series. Read how I’m scoring my list and find out about my “special consideration” acts in PART 1, the runners-up in PART 2, 15 through 11…

The Vaccines perform at Slim’s in San Francisco on Oct. 2, 2018. Gary Chancer/STAFF. The Vaccines’ Justin Young didn’t take care of his health as much as he should have, and the English garage rock band’s singer-guitarist paid for it. After mounting an aggressive campaign with buzzy 2011 debut…