Seraphina Lotkhamnga on May 24th, 2011

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Silver Lake Jubilee‘s second day went off without a hitch, and attending the festival on Sunday seemed to be the perfect way to wind down before the work week ahead. The food trucks were still ready to serve, local music traveled through the air and the sun and breeze made the festival seem like a spring fling.

• ||| Photos by Laurie Scavo

Despite the weekend coming to an end, bands played like it was Friday night and ignored the June gloom just waiting in the wings. Perhaps it was because the Rapture never came to fruition, or maybe it was because the Jubilee usually precedes a great summer. Either way, festivities ended with a big bang with bands such as We Are the World and the Little Ones closing the night out. Here’s our roundup of highlights from Day 2 after the jump:

Who made me believe sadness is romance if it sounds really pretty – Tommy Santee Klaws (Santa Monica stage): After catching Other Lives (at the Satellite) the night before, the Tommy Santee Klaws and crew were more than inviting with their lush arrangements. Lyrics yearned as much emotion as all the toy instruments added a playful accent to their dichotomy of spookiness and beauty. Although the sun was beating down on everyone’s skin, their melodies seemed to induce chills via warm vocals and use of strings.

Who played the wackiest (and all ages-friendly) set – Cobra Lilies (Sunset stage): While Tommy Santee Klaws were hypnotizing, Cobra Lilies were preparing to set the members of their fun house loose. With band members of the Monolators, Moses Campbell and more, the mostly-female weird-folk pop supergroup were quirky as ever with their cop car-influenced tunes, “Little Mermaid” aliases and choreographed dance routines (in full costume, might I add). It also didn’t hurt that Eli and Mary Chartkoff’s son was adding an adorable element whenever he would sing random tunes into the microphone.

Who sounded solid but made me fear someone was going to break his neck – Dante Vs Zombies (Santa Monica stage): With half of their members in Jail Weddings, it was safe to assume that Dante and the gang would be theatrical, to say the least. Although all cleverly dressed up in bathrobes and appropriate accessories (shower caps, hair rollers, slippers), Dante Vs Zombies’ retro-glam punk came to life as their frontman Dante White-Aliano (donning a hot pink robe and Safari hat) not only jumped off stage and on to the large subwoofers, but also started climbing to the very top of the scaffold. Although he was stuck up there for a song or two, he did make his way back down (which produced a sigh of relief from me) to sing their most-loved single, “Yes, I’m Stalking You.” If you enjoyed the chaos during their set, prepare yourselves for their residency coming up in June at the Echo.

Who maintained their “next-big-thing” label – Races (Sunset stage): With eight members on stage, Races (formerly called Black Jesus) have been slapped with the “Arcade Fire” label, and the comparison is not much of a stretch with their sweeping arrangements. Although the band has been around for years, changing their name, playing shows and planning to put some music out has helped the good word about them spread like wildfire. The ages of the musicians range from 20 to 30, but you would never know who was older or younger as this band works so well together.

Who started the best dance party – Love Grenades (Sunset stage): Elizabeth Wight was ready to drop those new beats of hers, and they were well-received. Whether people had just come from the beer garden or were enticed by the electro-pop underneath those sultry vocals, there was a whole lot of dancing in front of the stage. With a new lineup and a few new instruments, Love Grenades got everyone perfectly warmed up for We Are The World. We even caught members of the Silversun Pickups, Twilight Sleep and Shadow Shadow Shade getting down.

Who proved they still have it ”“”“ The Little Ones (Santa Monica stage): If there’s one band Vampire Weekend ripped off without knowing it, it would be L.A.’s very own band, the Little Ones. Crashing on to the scene way back in 2006 with their EP, “Sing Song,” they were grouped with local greats such as Cold War Kids, and to this day their music is infectious as ever. Having annexed a couple members of Division Day, brothers Ed and Brian Reyes (top photo), Ian Moreno and Lee LaDouceur sounded as young as some of the kids who bounced around up front. They’ve been off the grid for about two years, but their new tunes (they have an album’s worth ready) sounded great.