Seraphina Lotkhamnga on April 6th, 2012

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The music of the L.A. trio Detective sounds as if it could have come from dusty tapes found in the 4AD archive. Named in honor of the Jean-Luc Godard film, Detective is the collaboration between bassist Guylaine Vivarat (Useless Keys and ex-Tennis System), James Greer (the author, screenwriter and ex-Guided By Voices bassist and biographer) and drummer Rory Modica (Useless Keys). Their second EP in as many months, “Basket of Masks,” trades in coy pop melodies, gritty post-punk guitar riffs and proggy krautrock instrumentals. Their sparse, lo-fi structures don’t sacrifice texture, though; Vivarat and Greer have found the delicate balance between sweet and off-kilter that recall Stereolab and some Morr Music luminaries. “Baskets of Masks,” the follow-up to February’s “Very Fallen World,” is slated for a April 17 digital release and for a May 22 limited 12-inch vinyl release.

||| Download: “Rhodesian Man”

||| Also: Download “Monochrome Girl”

||| Live: Detective plays Saturday at the Echo Park Country Outpost and June 2 at HM 157.

Photo by Laurie Scavo