Beatique

Beatique

  • Psychedelic Sounds Abound on New Teenage Fanclub Album, Do Not Dare to Dream

    Teenage Fanclub Do not Dare to Dream album cover
    Do Not Dare to Dream by Teenage Fanclub is out now.

    Scottish indie band Teenage Fanclub has been together for more than 35 years now, with a few lineup changes along the way, and have just released their 13th album. It’s called Do Not Dare to Dream and it’s out now via the venerable indie label Merge Records. I’ve listened to the album a number of times to write this review and the one song I keep hanging onto is “Over and Over.” 

    “Over and Over” is an interesting song. It begins with a gentle vocal harmony, a bit reminiscent of 1960s Bee-Gees. Less than a minute into the song, a funky drum kicks into gear, but those vocals, they remain subdued and a bit melancholy. By the chorus, the guitar picks up a Johnny Marr quality, like The Smiths’ take on ‘60s pop in songs like “Unloveable.” All this leads to a Can-like, psychedelic outro that goes on for close to a minute. It’s a lot to pack into a song and Teenage Fanclub does it well and it’s a testament to the band’s eclecticism. 

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  • Imperial Teen Is Back and All Over You

    Imperial Teen by Milan Zrnic
    Imperial Teen (Photo: Milan Zrnic)

    It’s been a minute, but Imperial Teen is back with a new album, All Over You, set for release on October 9 and a U.S. tour that kicks off at Zebulon in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 14. The long-running indie rock band return in fine form with a sound and an energy that recalls albums like What Is Not to Love and On. 

    “Honestly, the last record we put out, Now We Are Timeless, it felt like our final record, to me anyway,” says Roddy Bottum. “This one kind of feels like taking that back a little bit, or correcting ourselves, or readdressing ourselves. Finding the words in ourselves to share again.”

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  • Pan’s Labyrinth, Murder Ballads and More Happening in L.A. This Weekend

    Swimming Bell live at Oblivion in Highland Park, Los Angeles on Friday, May 23, 2025 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    Swimming Bell (seen here at Oblivion in 2005) plays Murder Ballads and Dark Songs at Zebulon on Sunday, October 11. (Pic: Liz O.)

    Honestly, it’s been too damn hot this past week to think much about going out. If you’re trying to keep cool, movie theaters are always a good idea. Pan’s Labyrinthis back in theaters beginning October 8 for a 20th anniversary re-release. There are a ton of classic and cult horror movies playing around town too. The best option is to check out Revival Houses and see what’s playing near you. 

    I’m not DJing this weekend, but to give you a heads up, my next gigs are at Club Underground. I’ll be there on October 16 for the Fontaines D.C. Dopamine Chamber release party we’re doing and on October 30 for this year’s Halloween bash. Tickets for both are available now. 

    As for this weekend and early next week, here my recommendations. 

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  • If You Read One New Book This Year, Make It The Stars Shine Brighter by Rami Abou Jamous

    The Stars Shine Brighter by Rami Abou Jamous
    The Stars Shine Brighter by Rami Abou Jamous

    If there’s one new book you read this year, it should be The Stars Shine Brighter by Rami Abou Jamous. Released last month, it is the Palestinian journalist’s first-person account of life in Gaza during the first two years of the genocide. It’s a short, concise read that is, frequently, devastating. For those of us reading in the U.S., it’s also the rare glimpse inside Gaza that’s uninterrupted by the noise of political spin, propaganda bots, racist assholes and everything else that makes so many people shy away from even mentioning Palestine. 

    Jamous is an award-winning war correspondent who has reported from Gaza for multiple French outlets over the past few years. (You can read his more recent columns in Orient XXI) In The Stars Shine Brighter, he documents both what is happening in the communities surrounding him and how he tries to keep his own family safe. 

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  • Listen to the October 2026 Edition of Beatique

    The latest edition of Beatique is online now and features new music from Soft Cell, Hercules and Love Affair, Boy Harsher, ADULT.  and more, plus a few old favorites, including a New Order song that is neither “Blue Monday” nor “Bizarre Love Triangle,” a Bauhaus song that isn’t “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” and one of my all-time favorite club bangers. Listen here or on Mixcloud. Set list is below. 

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  • Slayyyter Covering Turnstile + More of What You Heard at Harvard and Stone 10/03/26

    Harvard and Stone (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)

    I love Slayyyter’s remix/cover of Turnstile’s song “Birds,” which is on Never Enough: Versions. It’s such a unexpected take on the song, clubby and with a dubstep twist. Plus, Slayyyter is really good with aggressive vocals. I included “Birds” on my September mix, but didn’t get the chance to try it out in a club until last night. Set list is below. 

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  • New Arab Strap + More of What You Heard at Club Underground 10/02/26

    Arab Strap Half-Told Tales Album Cover
    Cover of Half-Told Tales by Arab Strap

    I’m way into “You You You,” from Arab Strap’s new album, Half-Told Tales. Played in my set for the first time on Friday night at Club Underground. It’s a groovy, dance-rock track that’s good for the warm-up portion of the night. Anyhow, it’s been a long-hot weekend so I don’t have much to say, except that the set list from Friday night is below. I’ll be back at Underground on October 16 for the Fontaines D.C. album release party. Get your tickets for that asap.

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  • Club Underground’s Fontaines D.C. Night Coming Soon + What’s Happening This Weekend

    Mark your calendars for Friday, October 16. Fontaines D.C. will be releasing their new album, Dopamine Chamber, and we’re doing a listening party at Club Underground. Doors are at 9:30 p.m. and album play starts at 9:45 p.m. sharp. After the album, stick around for dancing because both floors of the Grand Star Jazz Club will be open and Larry G. and I will have plenty of Fontaines D.C. on us. Tickets are available online now.  

    As for this weekend, head to Club Underground on Friday, October 2 for indie, Britpop, post-punk, synthpop, etc. Advance tickets are available.   If you’re going to see Marlon Magnée at Pacific Electric on Friday night, stop by Underground after the show. The venues are close to each other.

    On Saturday, October 3, I’ll be DJing at Harvard and Stone from 10 p.m. until close. No cover! If you’re going to Corpse Bride at Hollywood Forever, Perfume Genius at Barnsdall Gallery, Poison Girlfriend at The Vermont or The Growlers at The Greek, Harvard & Stone is pretty close, so stop by afterwards and say hi. 

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  • San Gabriel Fights Off a Case of Adult Onset Goth on New EP

    San Gabriel James Bookert promo photo by Kassy Balli
    San Gabriel’s new EP, Adult Onset Goth, is out now. (Photo: Kassy Balli)

    James Bookert is trying not to get jaded with age. “Especially being from Austin, there are a lot of older, jaded musicians,” he says on a recent video call. “I was really at risk of becoming one of those people. Maybe, in some ways, I can be and I have to actively fight not to be.”

    That tension found its way into Adult Onset Goth, the EP that Bookert released in September under his alias, San Gabriel. “The older I get, the more serious I get,” he says. So Bookert imagined a medical infomercial tackling grown up teen angst. The title, though, isn’t a description of the EP’s sound. San Gabriel’s brand of synth-heavy melancholy is tempered with a touch of sweetness, a style that’s closer to Air’s soundtrack for The Virgin Suicides or Tame Impala on The Slow Rush. There’s a dose of rebellion on the EP too, in the form of the song “Fuck the Money,” where Bookert sings, “I was so tired of 9-5/Working for the weekend.”

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  • New Music from Arab Strap, Club 8 and Murex

    Arab Strap Half-Told Tales Album Cover
    Cover of Half-Told Tales by Arab Strap

    Long-running indie duos Arab Strap and Club 8 both released new albums in September. Plus, Swedish singer/musician Murex released her debut. Keep reading for the reviews.

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