Kevin Bronson on July 8th, 2013

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Raw Geronimo’s debut album “Dream Fever” sounds like the sum of many dreams, only some of them feverish. The band surfaced two years ago as the vehicle for the songwriting of multi-instrumentalist and sonic adventurer Laena Geronimo, whose exploits in myriad L.A. bands of both the pop and experimental variety inform the cerebral and visceral scope of the debut, out July 30 on Neurotic Yell Records. It’s easy to imagine that DNA had a role as well – Geronimo, born Laena Myers-Ionita, is the daughter of the late Alan Myers, the Devo drummer who died June 28 of colon cancer. Geronimo’s band is now a sextet, including Michael Rudes, Lauren Fay, Shannon Marie Lay, Lance Piebenga and Vug Arakas. “Dream Fever” has only whispers of the two best-known bands for whom Geronimo has played – lightweight popsters the Like and theatrical rockers Dante Vs. Zombies. But in spirit, it’s more like the latter: ’90s art-rock, ’80s pop and ’70s punk sprinkled everywhere, with attitude. Tracks like “Bitched,” “Lose My Mind” and “Chinatown” all land with appropriate sting, but the first single “Magnetic Love” is more of a magic moment.

||| Stream: “Magnetic Love”

Photo by Gina Clyne