Album reviews: Olin and the Moon, Downtown/Union

Kevin Bronson on
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[More L.A. releases, and surprises …]

Olin and the Moon, “Terrible Town” (self-released) – Not to sound too hayseed, but this album’s like beer. Sometimes you cry in it; sometime you raise your glass. The L.A. quintet with roots in Sun Valley, Idaho, have birthed a “No Depression”-worthy recording that, while hardly straying from country formula, tugs at your heart like a prairie sunset. The fivesome’s tidy arrangements help diminutive frontman David LaBrel’s crystalline vocals stand out – he doesn’t have to overplay wistful when he sings “It’s kinda hard to laugh right now / and drinkin’ makes me sick / ‘Cause the first time I saw you / I was in between sips.” Recommended.

||| Download (previously posted): “Friend of Feelin’ Good”

||| Live: Olin and the Moon celebrates the album release with a show Tuesday at the Echo with Leslie & the Badgers, Deep Sea Diver and Eagle and Talon.

Downtown/Union, “Aurora Ahora” (self-released) – This album fits nicely into my indie-rock pantheon … circa 1991. Maybe I’m guilty of a moment of nostalgia, but the work of Bo Bory and Jeff Electric – abetted by frenetic brothers Joey and Andy Siara of the Henry Clay People – gets lovingly shelved with Dinosaur Jr., Buffalo Tom, Superchunk and various garage-rockers of that era whose honest, rough-hewn rock ‘n’ roll you could either shout or sing along to. D/U adds its own twists, including occasional keyboards and horns, but even at its most basic “Aurora” still sounds fresh. Recommended.

||| Download (previously posted): “Wake Up Call From the Nexus of Me and You”

||| Live: Downtown/Union plays Wednesday at Mr. T’s.

More local releases, in brief

Lisa Donnelly, “We Had a Thing” (self-released) – The stylistic hopscotching on the former A.M. Pacific frontwoman’s solo debut feels like a reach; she’s most believable as a pop chanteuse on “Julian.” [Live: Donnelly’s CD release show is tonight at the Roxy.]

Franklin for Short, “Swell” (Beehouse) – Ventura quartet’s amiable indie-rock, shaded by folk and psychedelia, remains a bit too safely earnest through most of “Swell’s” 14 tracks, but there’s a handful you’ll hum on the way up the coast. [Download: “Red Tide Rad Ride”]

The Monthlies, “Monthlies Assemble!” (Amphiyard Records) – A bit truncated (9 tracks) and quirky to fully endorse, this quartet’s debut nonetheless offers a smart, snappy take on ’60s and ’70s pop, worth investigating just for “Hip Girl” and “Lucky Ones.” [Live: The Monthlies play June 7 at the Viper Room.]

The Whiskey Saints, “West” (self-released) – Straight-ahead barroom country rock in search of bigger barrooms.