Mystery men Sir Sly appeared out of the ether last year with smoove slices of currently chic electro R&B titled “Ghost” and “Found You Out,” leaked on the Internet and widely embraced by the same fans who are bear-hugging bands like The Neighbourhood and Wildcat! Wildcat! It turns out Sir Sly (which was sometimes rendered as […]
The enduring allure of “Would You Stay,” Steffaloo’s 2012 release on Mush Records, is its wide-eyed earnestness. As some might say, Steph Thompson is as real as real gets. And so it is with the video for “Can’t You See,” a simple black-and-white clip of an artist who’s unafraid to be up close and personal […]
The first song from the L.A. duo going by the name Bom Bom is a button-pusher that will play perfectly to fans of old-school soul and new-school pop. Melody and a tinkling piano straight outta Motown? Check. Wonky Bourbon Street horn? Check. A little electro wizardry to remind us it’s 2013? Sure. The production is […]
Yes, Fonda made the video for its single “Seeing Stars” at the Griffith Observatory. Why not? There’s something pretty astral about the L.A. quartet’s bliss-pop, a well-timed revival of the densely layered guitars of ’90s Britpop. The video even pays brief homage to actually gazing at one’s shoes (where the pedals lay, of course). The […]
On its first batch of recordings, L.A. quartet Plus aims to capture the moxie, danger and fun of a lot of post-New Wave artists, in the way a lot of third-wavers like Passion Pit have done. The results are little predictable, but the synth-wielding foursome of Dave Farina, Cameron Gharaee, Paul Hiller and David Powell […]
The new single from Bleached picks up right where the L.A. rockers’ first three left off – “Next Stop” rides propulsive guitars and the piquant girl-group vocals of sisters Jennifer and Jessie Clavin straight outta the garage and into your sweet spot. The peppy/prickly demeanor of their singles recalls the Dum Dum Girls, who started […]
From the moment we heard “Refugees,” it was apparent the New Limb was going to go a different route with their new material. Although 2010’s “Sounds People Can Hear” EP offered beguiling boy-girl harmonies and buoyant indie-pop melodies, their forthcoming album has come a long way from “Birds and Stuff.” Their “Inconsistencies” mixtape also showcased […]
Songwriter Jack Burnside has been laying relatively low since the popgazing quartet Mezzanine Owls went away, but now his creative juices are flowing again and Western Lows are his new outlet. The trio, which includes Michael Orendy on bass and Julien Bellin on drums, metes out hazy-but-not-lazy sonics commingled with Burnside’s contemplative lyrics. As with […]
You’ve seen those movies where some actor is lost and dehydrated in the desert only to hallucinate some outrageous scenario. “Vicious Cycle” by Blackfeet Braves sets a similar mood. With Tony Malcara’s raspy vocals, and additional ’60s-influenced psychedelic chops from Julian Ducatenzeiler, Shane Stotsenberg, Tomas Dolas and Cameron Gartung, the L.A. quintet has you go […]
When she fronted the dance-happy L.A. outfit Love Grenades, Liz Wight embraced the more obvious influences of ’80s New (and newer) Wave. Her new collaboration with San Franciscan Drew Marcogliese (Afghan Raiders), Silver Hands, is electro made for 2013, with Wight’s beguiling vocals wrapped around and echoing through her producer’s peripatetic beats and woozy textures. […]
