Kevin Bronson on February 4th, 2013

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In some ways, A House for Lions are least cool kids on the L.A. block. They aren’t diving down some wormhole chasing a sound from rock’s dark ages, or turning synths up to 10 to attract face-painters, and in an age when costumes often seem to matter a much as the music, it’s refreshing. What Daniel Norman, Mike Nissen, Eric McCann and Joe Luisi have going for them – besides a sense of humor, as their fan-funding campaign demonstrated – are evocative songs, some your moms and dads might even like. Somewhere between classic folk-rock and sprawling ’90s anthems, the quartet’s music relies on Norman’s arching vocals, Nissen’s tasty guitar licks and the rhythms from McCann’s stand-up bass and Luisi’s drumming. It’s a formula that works, and on the nimble single “(You Don’t Wanna) Wait for Me,” A House for Lions shows that restraint is the better part of valor.

||| Download: “(You Don’t Wanna) Wait for Me” (via Facebook)

||| Live: A House for Lions kicks off its February residency tonight at the Echoplex.

||| Previously: “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “Come On, Let’s Go”

Photo by Shaughn Crawford