Kevin Bronson on October 10th, 2008

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[I’m reviving this occasional feature from the L.A. Times blog days. I don’t always have time to conduct interviews with every band that catches my attention, so think of Ears Wide Open as a quick heads-up:]

Pop Noir, the dance-happy trio fronted by black-clad, big-haired twins Luke and Joe McGarry, has been slugging it out on the L.A. club scene for several years. Their Madchester-derived rock (hmm, Joe’s MySpace moniker is Joe Division) works well wherever folks feel like moving their feet, and on the dozen or so occasions I’ve seen them perform, Pop Noir has been more polished on every outing. The Huntington Beachers’ best songs might be ahead of them, but at this moment the twins are celebrating their 21st birthdays — they can have that first legal drink at midnight tonight at Club Underground at the Echo, where they are performing as part of Love Grenades’ residency. And it turns out they share a birth date with this very blogger. Happy happy, lads.

||| Download: “Girls of Prey” from RCRD LBL here. (Photo by Jack Coleman)

The first five songs to emerge from Local Natives — the Orange County-born quintet that emerged from the band Cavil at Rest — have a lot going for them: guileless three-part harmonies, bouncy melodies, a comfy-organic feel and percussion that doesn’t know when to stop (and it shouldn’t). It’s the same brand of exultant indie-pop that the Little Ones have fine-tuned. Can’t wait to hear more. Local Natives play tonight at the Troubadour on a bill that includes Facing New York and talented piano man Gavin Castleton.

||| Download: “Airplanes.”