Tag Archives: Natalie Kardos

Live Review: Blonde Redhead at House of Blues San Diego, November 14, 2010

Photo credit: Natalie Kardos

In many ways, Blonde Redhead bear little resemblance to the Sonic Youth-inspired band that exploded onto the post-rock scene in the mid-90s.

The Blonde Redhead of yesteryear were a force to be reckoned with on stage, with front woman Kazu Makino’s blood-curdling screams and guitarist Amedeo Pace’s jigsaw guitar work always keeping the listener firmly on edge. But a lot has changed since the band’s formative years, and its present incarnation favors airy melodies over atonal chaos and electronic ambiance over electric guitars. As the crowd gathered to watch the trio at House of Blues on Sunday, it was treated to something that was much more soothing than scathing. Continue reading…

Review: The National; May 23, 2010; Spreckels, San Diego

Photos by Natalie Kardos

It’s official: The National are a great band.

The Cincinnati group’s newly released LP, High Violet, is their third stellar album in a row, completing the astonishing trilogy they began with 2005’s Alligator and 2007’s Boxer. Like those records, High Violet finds the band in peak form, maintaining a calculated mastery of their material that begins when the needle drops and doesn’t let up until the final track fades away. Continue reading…