Kevin Bronson on December 17th, 2013

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Preface: More than 200 Los Angeles-sired albums landed on Buzz Bands LA’s doorstep this year, and they came in all sounds and styles. There is something to recommend in a startling number of them. But to avert writing the same introduction I did last year, I will simply say, in dispensing with the notion of “best” and simply calling them “favorites,” that these 25 commanded return trips and stuck with me the longest. I welcome your commentary. Thanks.

25. The Black Watch, “The End of When” (Sept. 10, Pop Culture Press)

Now abetted by ex-Chills guitarist Steven Schayer, the venerable captain of the Black Watch ship, John Andrew Fredrick, has made an old-school indie-rock album that balances melody and mayhem. It helps that Fredrick, a teacher and author, does not waste bars with filler lyrics either – the words often have the same bite as the guitars – and the fact that this release comes with a second, 16-track disc of career highlights makes it a bargain. Class is in session. [Listen]

||| Previously: “Emily, Are You Sleeping?”

24. IO Echo, “Ministry of Love” (April 2, IAMSOUND)

The long-awaited proper debut from Ioanna Gika and Leopold Ross (first spotted in these parts about 2007) is steeped in mysticism. The duo’s “New Orientalism” – Japanese koto harps and Chinese violins weave in and out of their dense wall of sound – melds Eastern influences with the textures of British shoegazers, as if to use Siouxsie’s “Hong Kong Garden” as a canvas and paint over it. Illuminating. [Listen]

||| Previously: At Coachella, “When the Lillies Die”

23. Salt Petal, “Sea Monster” (Feb. 23, self-released)

This underrated quintet of Autumn Harrison, Rodrigo Gonzalez, Jesse Herrera, Hiroo Nakano and Dayna Richards molded tropical-flavored indie rock, cumbia, Latin folk and soul into an album that’s a winner in three languages. You want an album that doesn’t sound samey? Look no further. From the racehorse indie-rock of ”Pico” to the colorful “Por La Luna” to the accordion- and trumpet-addled “Darkest Hours,” “Sea Monster” is the kind of melting-pot music that makes L.A. someplace special. [Listen]

||| Previously: “Darkest Hours,” “Pico”

22. Superhumanoids, “Exhibitionists” (June 11, Innovative Leisure)

The long-awaited debut from this dream-pop quartet pulls off a delicate balancing act – girl/boy vocals that are sweet (Sarah Chernoff) vs. plaintive (Cameron Parkins), trading places in narratives that shroud their fears and foibles in soaring melodicism. “Exhibitionists” explores the introspective tip of the new wave ’80s (think Tears for Fears, doing slow jams), and at times its synth-pop sheen makes that sound like an icy place. There’s hardly a smattering of romantic payoff in “So Strange” and “Geri,” but if a chorus can mend a broken heart, then it’s “Too Young for Love.” [Listen]

||| Previously: “Bad Weather,” Live at the Troubadour, “Too Young for Love”

21. Hot As Sun, “Night Time Sound Desire” (March 26, Last Gang)

How “Dahnce to the Beat,” “The Desert Song” and the title track were not summer hits we’ll never know, but this L.A. trio’s debut album is smart (occasionally in a winking way) and seductive (occasionally in a playful way) from front to back. Singer Jamie Jackson, abetted by Deborah Stoll and Waz shift rhythms and, subtly, aesthetics, throughout. Their reverb-drenched calls to the dance floor and the momentary euphoria that provides make for enough earworms that you’ll wonder why dance-pop fans haven’t been talking about this album all year. [Listen]

||| Previously: “When We Fell,” “Dahnce to the Beat;” “The Desert Song” video; “Come Come”

20. Dream Boys, “Dream Boys” (Sept. 17, Art Fag)

The cult of Creation and Sarah Records’ fans delighted in discovering jangle-pop revivalists Dream Boys, whose debut updates the guitar-driven pastiche of late-’80s/early-’90s indie-poppers. Scotsman Wallace Meek, joined by American comrades Wayne Faler, Will Ivy and Mike La Franchi, adds a smidge of 1960s California sunshine to the sound. If the La’s, Felt, the Bluetones and Teenage Fanclub are your initial reference points, imagine those bands playing under palm trees in nice ocean breeze. [Listen]

||| Previously: “Born Yesterday”

19. PAPA, “Tender Madness” (Oct. 8, Universal Republic)

Singing drummer Darren Weiss and boyhood pal and bassist Daniel Presant conspired to make a hearty, masculine album with a healthy appetite for lovin’. Weiss’ punk-rock pounding and come-hither baritone account for a lot of that, but coupled with its bluesy backbone and arena-rock atmospherics, “Tender Madness” feels as if it were Born to Run. The rave-up “Put Me to Work” is the big calling card, and overall, the album is better with prickly riffs (“I Am the Lion King”) than it is with keyboard-driven laments. Maybe PAPA should just forgo the whole tender part, but this is an awfully fun start. [Listen]

||| Previously: Live at the El Rey, “Young Rut,” “If You’re My Girl, Then I’m Your Man,”Â  “Put Me to Work” video; interview with Darren Weiss; “I Am the Lion King”

18. Hanni El Khatib, “Head in the Dirt” (April 30, Innovative Leisure)

Neither as dirty nor angry as his 2011 debut (his description then was “songs for anyone who’s been shot or run over by a train,” remember), the skater/songwriter/designer’s second effort still crackles with irascible garage-blues. Much was made of the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach producing the record, and indeed “Head in the Dirt” seems more ready for street sales that street fights. But there’s enough “Family” and “Pay No Mind” to satiate the need for rough-and-tumble, and except for misplaced pop track “Penny,” El Khatib still comes off as one tough hombre. [Listen]

||| Previously: Live at the El Rey, “Family,” at Coachella.

17. Western Lows, “Glacial” (July 9, JAXART)

The latest from guitars/effects pedals/diaries of Jack Burnside (Mezzanine Owls) is a moody, almost stream-of-consciousness affair that lives up to its title. Burnside made the album in Athens, Ga., with Andy LeMaster (of Now It’s Overhead, and a frequent Saddle Creek hand) and other contributors before mounting his live lineup of bassist Michael Orendy and Julien Bellin. “Glacial” is contemplative if not downright sadgazing, suitable for sessions of staring at vast expanses while trying to extract Burnside’s elegant verses from all the pitch-shifting. Understated noise-pop at its prettiest. [Listen]

||| Previously: “Grapevine,” “Icicles,” “Last Known Rivers”

16. Youth Code, “Youth Code” (Sept. 3, Dais)

Everything about the full-length debut from industrial duo Ryan George and Sara Taylor screams pissed-off, from the overdriven synths to the dense rhythms to, well, the screams. Yet as abrasive and contemptuous as “Youth Code” tries to be, it’s pretty danceable and melodic. Maybe it’s because there’s a dearth of Skinny Puppy acolytes in these parts, or maybe it’s because so many just play-act their rage, but Youth Code feels like a breath of fresh (or should that be appropriately foul) air. [Listen]

||| Previously: “Tiger’s Remorse”

15. Victory, “Victory Is Music” (April 23, self-released)

Cayucas earned some well-deserved plaudits for their catchy pop nostalgia, but do-it-yourself Robert Fleming, the man behind Victory, does them one better. “Victory Is Music” has fuzzed-out blues-pop gem after fuzzed-out gem. “Bad Man” and “Woman” sound like Spoon as a garage band, and “Play It” rides a bouncy bass into bootie-shaking oblivion. Simple and catchy and neither horribly overthought nor willfully under-produced – this album’s 28 minutes will be over before you know it. [Listen]

||| Previously: “Bad Man,” “Woman,” “Kickers” video, “Kickers”

14. The Lonely Wild, “The Sun As It Comes” (April 2, Ursa Major)

The debut from the quintet Andrew Carroll, Dave Farina, Ryan Ross, Andrew Schneider and Jessi Williams isn’t far musically from last year’s debut from L.A.’s Lord Huron. But instead of the latter’s burnished Americana, the Lonely Wild’s spaghetti Western-tinged rock is Technicolor – visceral narratives told with vein-popping fervor. Sound the horns, cue the harmonies, pan the horizon slowly. Action. Lots of action. [Listen]

||| Previously: “Buried in the Murder”

13. Gliss, “Langsom Dans” (Jan. 22, Modern Outsider)

Long-running shoegaze trio executed a subtle but nifty reinvention on their fourth full-length: With Victoria Cecilia coming to the fore, Gliss aligned more with the experimental dream-poppers of the present than the Jesus and Mary Chain acolytes of the past. Oh, there was still the odd guitar rager (“The Sea Tonight”), but mostly the album balances otherworldly synths with its reverb-drenched guitars. Emotionally, “Langsom Dans” splits the difference too, with Cecilia cooing and distant one moment and passionate the next, especially on the standout track “Weight of Love.” [Listen]

||| Previously: “Drool,” “Blur,” “Hunting,” “The Weight of Love” 

12. Local Natives, “Hummingbird” (Jan. 29, Frenchkiss)

On their follow-up to their 2010’s euphoric “Gorilla Manor,” the L.A. quintet wrestled with something of an existential crisis. Kelcey Ayer lost his mother. The band parted ways with a founding member, Andy Hamm. And they must’ve wondered, after the debut’s success and the hard touring that came along with it: What’s next? They responded by making an introspective, though less immediate, album that finds catharsis in raw emotion. Local Natives’ vocal interplay and nimble musicianship are still on full display, and “Hummingbird” ever so slightly bears the fingerprint of the National’s Aaron Dessner, who produced. It’s not the quick fix of “Gorilla Manor,” but it’s well worth the investment. [Listen]

||| Previously: Live at the Greek, “You & I,” at Coachella, “Heavy Feet”

11. Big Black Delta, “Big Black Delta” (June 4, Master of Bates)

When ex-Mellowdrone main man Jonathan Bates unveiled his BBD demos in 2011, it was a shock to the senses. With ’80s revivalism already rampant, here was a guitar guy using synths to create some strange sort of dark-metal sonic death star. Leaving everything turned up to 11 and challenging listeners to keep with his vocoded vocals, barrage of samples and pitch-shifted weirdness, Bates released the proper version of “Big Black Delta” this summer. Songs like “Huggin & Kissin” and “Side of the Road” have enough familiarity to seduce fans of ’80s music, but it’s Bates’ subversive streak that accounts for the album’s estimable boundary-pushing. This wins the space race. [Listen]

||| Previously: “Money Rain Down,” “Side of the Road,” “Huggin & a Kissin,” “Capsize,” “Betamax”

10. Kiev, “Falling Bough Wisdom Teeth” (Oct. 22, Ingrooves)

If this is how a young band does prog-rock, then reboot my attention span. The long-awaited debut from the O.C. quintet of Robert Brinkerhoff, Alex Wright, Derek Poulsen, Andy Stavas and Brandon Corn is a sophisticate’s dream, somewhere between a classical minimalist’s idea of rock ’n’ roll and a jam band’s idea of jazz. But owing to its driving bass lines and occasional spasms of psychedelia, it never bores. Plus, it gets special mention for best album cover (a watercolor by Walton Ford). [Listen]

||| Previously: “Falling Bough,” “3rnd”

9. Gap Dream, “Shine Your Light” (Nov. 26, Burger)

The year’s tsnaumi of synth-pop was probably only matched its wave after wave of psychedelia. Gap Dream (aka Gabriel Fulvimar) scores in both areas. “Shine Your Light” ranks with Burger Records’ finest moments, with its inventively layered electronics and beats, winsome and kaleidoscopic vocals and irresistible hooks. Its lo-fi, slacker and slightly stoned charm makes you root for Fulvimar, who famously lived in Burger’s Fullerton shop after moving west from Ohio, even as he fumbles for some semblance of adult life. Maybe it’s best if it stays out reach. [Listen]

||| Previously: “Shine Your Love,” “Shine Your Light”

8. Jenny O., “Automechanic” (Feb. 5, Holy Trinity)

How is fixing a car like keeping your life engine tuned up? Long Island ex-pat Jenny O. offers some ways on her engaging debut of country, Americana and rock songs. Hers is a distinctive voice, part wide-eyed cherub (“Sun Moon and Stars” and the title track) and part wizened woman (“Learned My Lessons”). When she rocks out, as on “Good Love,” you imagine she would have have been the life of the party in the original Laurel Canyon scene. (Oh, and Jonathan Wilson produces here.) Enjoy barefoot and slightly buzzed. [Listen]

||| Previously: At the Skirball Center, “Automechanic”

7. The Neighbourhood, “I Love You” (April 23, Columbia)

Adroitly straddling the line between pop/R&B and hip-hop, the debut from the Newbury Park quintet feeds the alternately sanguine and pallid (and often exaggerated) emotions of teenage relationships. Not that you need be a teenager to remember moments that the ones in “Sweater Weather.” Crooning frontman Jesse Rutherford is quick with the couplets, which could just as easily be rapped as sung, and unlike a lot of neo- or electro-R&B, the production isn’t so squishy that his ministrations are smothered. Both the Neighbourhood and “I Love You” have attitude, some of it off-putting, but there’s so much upside I’m just gonna “Let It Go.” [Listen]

6. The Icarus Line, “Slave Vows” (Aug. 6, 1-2-3-4-GO!)

Hard to find a more uncompromising hard-rock record than the fifth album from mercurial L.A. talent Joe Cardamone. There’s a sense of danger in every shriek – either from a guitar or Cardamone’s throat – on “Slave Vows,” sleazy one minute, downright psychotic the next and never giving in to much of anything resembling a chorus or straight-ahead song structure at any time. As they did early on, the Icarus Line still reminds you of the Stooges, only maybe done by a stoner-rock band, and “Slave Vows’” vicious squalls and dark heart suggest that the Icarus Line are in it for life, for better or for worse. And you oughta be too. [Listen]

||| Previously: Live at the Roxy, “Marathon Man”

5. Rhye, “Woman” (March 5, Universal Republic)

The debut from songer Mike Milosh and producer Robin Hannibal (Quadron) figures to live on for many Valentine’s Days to come. It’s a soft pop masterpiece, sensual without resorting to entendre or even blatantly lusty exhortations. Rhye’s music was shrouded in mystery when it first appeared, and many (myself included) thought Milosh’s ethereal vocals to be those of a female. The effeminate articulations on “Woman” make it something of a concept album; it’s all about love, but largely without a point of view that’s gender-specific. Whatever, even to the most jaded, the album is crush-worthy itself. [Listen]

||| Previously: Live at SXSW, “The Fall”

4. Haim, “Days Are Gone” (Sept. 30, Columbia)

Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, along with drummer Dash Hutton, became L.A.’s It Girls of 2013 with their debut collection of classic rock revivalism mixed with ’80s/’90s R&B and modern pop. Much has been made of the album’s sonic reference points – Wilson Phillips, Fleetwood Mac, Phil Collins, Sheryl Crow, En Vogue, the Boss, etc. – but whatever these Valley Girls play tag with in your musical memory, “Days Are Gone” remains a giddy, propulsive record, as appealing to kids with no memory of any of the above as it is to greybeards clinging to their Stevie Nicks posters. Best of all, the album’s long incubation period did little to temper Haim’s greatest calling card, the sibling charisma that shines in all those harmonies and call-and-response vocals. They’re only getting started. [Listen]

||| Previously: Live at the Fonda, “The Wire,” “Falling,” “Don’t Save Me,” “Forever,” Feb. 2010

3. LA Font, “Diving Man” (Nov. 29, New Professor)

There’s a lot to be said for having something to say. Of that, LA Font frontman Danny Bobbe has no shortage. He calls out fakers, laments the meager indie-rock lifestyle and pours salt into his own wounds. Everything on “Diving Man” is sharp – guitarist Jon Perry’s licks, Bobbe’s yelping verbiage, and the head-banging rhythms of Greg Katz and Harlow Rodriguez. This is more punk-rock than your favorite punk-rock record, as songs like “Onshore,” “Sharks” and “Collect the Dust” attest. Unless you think shouting “f*ck you” some high form of rebellion. [Listen]

||| Previously: “Collect the Dust,” “Diving Man,” “Fine Lines,” “Onshore,” “Sharks”

2. Jonathan Wilson, “Fanfare” (Oct. 15, Downtown)

Given plenty of well-deserved praise for reviving the Laurel Canyon sound, Wilson goes far beyond that on his sophomore album. The lushly orchestrated “Fanfare” brims with echoes of the Beatles, Byrds, Neil Young and the expected host of West Coast luminaries in sprawling anthems to love and paeans to a sense of place. His guitar solos are almost novellas in their own right, dialogues with decades past. No surprise that the likes of Graham Nash, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench make cameos here. Wilson, 38, already sounds like a legacy artist. [Listen]

||| Previously: “Dear Friend,” “Love to Love,” 2011 interview

1. Body Parts, “Fire Dream” (Oct. 29, Father/Daughter)
These must be times of Great Neuroses, especially for twentysomethings. Which could account for the narcissistic state of social-media feeds, obsessions with lowest-common-denominator culture and, I dunno, the current bacon fetish. Body Parts are not distracted. The art-pop agitators formed around the alliance of Ryder Bach and Alina Cutrono have made an album that dances in the face of fear, even if it may not be any dance you immediately recognize. “Fire Dream” (which Bach says was inspired by a nightmare in which he witnessed his parents’ murder) draws from art-pop influencers such as the Talking Heads and Kate Bush. Funky bass lines, spastic rhythm shifts, boy/girl harmonies that melt into Duran Duran choruses – Body Parts’ debut takes a lot risks, and those gambles are handsomely rewarded. A keeper. [Listen]

Special mention:

Jake Bellows, “Help”
The Bronx, “The Bronx IV”
Broken Anchor, “Fresh Lemonade”
Cayucas, “Bigfoot”
Cobalt Cranes, “Head in the Clouds”
Cold War Kids, “Dear Miss Lonelyheart”
Juliette Commagere, “Human”
Robert DeLong, “Just Movement”
Dawes, “Stories Don’t End”
Eels, “Wonderful, Glorious”
FIDLAR, “FIDLAR”
Fonda, “Sell Your Memories”
Hands, “Synethesia”
Kisses, “Kids in L.A.”
The Little Ones, “The Dawn Sang Along”
Lucy Schwartz, “Timekeeper”
Seven Saturdays, “Seven Saturdays”
The Spires, “Eternal Yeah”
Spirit Vine, “Ascender”
Thundercat, “Apocalypse”
Yellow Red Sparks, “Yellow Red Sparks”
Chelsea Wolfe, “Pain Is Beauty”