Albums: Le Switch, the Henry Clay People, Civet

Kevin Bronson on October 3rd, 2008

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[Quickly catching up on some local album releases:]

Le Switch, “And Now … Le Switch” (Autumn Tone) — Frontman Aaron Kyle’s boozy voice is the cannon (and sometimes a loose one) of this L.A. quintet, but trumpeter/violist/singer Maria DeLuca is its secret weapon. You imagine DeLuca leading a parade down Bourbon Street to “Pristine” or “Give Me Something” and then maybe finding a shady spot to queue up “Big Ol’ Tree.” Le Switch’s debut [out this week] owes a little to Dr. John, Leon Russell and maybe Tom Waits; it’s dog-eared music from an honest place, and it goes down well with something frosty and cold.

||| Live: Le Switch supports labelmates the Henry Clay People tonight (see next review) and plays the Eagle Rock Music Festival on Saturday.

||| Download: “Pristine.”

The Henry Clay People, “For Cheap or For Free” (Autumn Tone) — The Henry Clay People goad you into liking them. Named for the scary-looking 19th-century statesman from Kentucky, the L.A. quartet tosses around riffs and rejoinders like $2 PBRs. There’s something very college-educated (though seeing them live, you’d swear it’s “Animal House”) about the Clays’ Pavement-meets-Petty patter, and maybe it’s because I imagine these are the kinds of songs Robert Pollard might’ve written before his voice changed. And though you can interpret them as anthems for L.A.’s army of struggling musicians, “This Ain’t a Scene” and “Working Part Time” resonate with dreamers, and tryers, everywhere. “For Cheap …” is out Nov. 4.

||| Live: The Henry Clay People celebrate their record release with a show tonight at Spaceland.

||| Download: “Andy Sings!” (EP version). And Rock Insider has another song here.

Civet, “Hell Hath No Fury” (Hellcat) — These four Orange County lasses announce their scorn with outsized guitars and over-the-top snarls. You bet your tats you heard this before, but it’s that way with a lot of radio-friendly punk, isn’t it? The estimable Tim Armstrong co-writes a song, and the 1-2 punch of steroidal production and breakneck pace make Civet’s debut [out Sept. 9] more mosh than mush.