Kevin Bronson on December 5th, 2014

0

The all-L.A. bill on Wednesday night at the Troubadour put an exclamation point on 2014 for four artists, two of whom released their debut albums this year and two who are only just beginning to make their mark. Stylish retro-soul outfit Caught a Ghost, boasting horns, beats and the vocal interplay between Jesse Nolan and Tessa Thompson, capped the night with songs from their April debut “Human Nature,” ending with the brassy “Get Louder.” In the Valley Below mined a different boy/girl duality – principals Jeffery Jacob and Angela Gail engaged the audience with the dark, brooding synth-pop from their debut “The Belt.” With the release of two British Invasion-inspired singles late in the summer, Paper Pilots were flying high (literally, in frontman Justin David Bocchieri’s case), and young sextet Decorator started the night with a set of funk-flavored pop, including their single “Mad Cali Transit.”

Photos by Kelly Rosales