After taking a one-year hiatus from songwriting to invest her time volunteering in state prisons, Thao Nguyen, lead singer of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, returns with “We the Common,” an album that holds true to Nguyen’s carefree tunes and cheerful vibes but is also reflective of her recent experiences. Read more...

Embrace the noise, My Bloody Valentine is back. Read more...

UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music has produced some musical stars over the years. Paul Chihara, professor of music and chair of the Visual Media Department, was one member of a team of musicians responsible for bringing the works of Hayao Miyazaki (including “Spirited Away”) to the United States. Cris Velasco is a multi-award winning composer for music in video games, including the “Mass Effect” series. Read more...

[email protected] Before the development of today’s GPS technology, travelers relied on compasses to point them north on their journeys. The Wes Coast’s band logo is a different kind of compass that points in all four directions, serving as a constant reminder of the places where the band sees itself writing and recording music in the future. Read more...

Photo: Wes Miller is the lead singer of the self-proclaimed “California rock” band, the Wes Coast. Miller and his bandmates Aroyn Davis, Brandon Bridges and David Han will play the group’s first show on Thursday night as part of the Fowler Out Loud concert series.

The Grammys sweep has been a permanent fixture in the award show for years. The trademark picture is notorious: the artist’s arms spread wide, barely managing to cradle those famous golden gramophones. Read more...

Photo: Bets are placed on Frank Ocean’s “Channel Orange,” an experimental album rhyming about a stripper epic and the singer’s own social commentary.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s self-titled first album recalled the deceptively pleasant pop of what had seemed a lost music: melodic guitar phrasing, Lennon-tinged vocals, a haze of noise and above all, insanely catchy tunes (see “Ffunny Ffriends”). Read more...