No, we’re not talking about your favorite Tom Jones-loving “Fresh Prince” character. Carlton is an L.A. by-way-of Washington D.C. trio who describes their sound as alternative pop, but their new single “Drift” is proof the members Richard Wynne, Brian Jones, Brendan McCusker have steered their sound more toward the ever-popular synth-pop genre. Whereas their debut EP […]
The Rentals have “returned” several times now – irreverently so, of course, with their debut album back in 1995 that proffered “Friends of P” as an instant power-pop classic. But none of their returns, including the late-’90s reunion for second album for second album “Seven More Minutes” and sporadic mid- and late-Aughts projects, feels as […]
Derek Brambles and Eric Johnson know their way around a song – the duo have been paying some bills penning commercial music around L.A. for a while now. The new project that singer-guitarist Brambles and bassist-keyboardist-vocalist Johnson have with guitarist Nick Setter and drummer Ryan Silver is called the King’s English. And it’s simply an […]
There’s never been a shortage of My Bloody Valentine acolytes in these parts, but San Fernando Valley quintet Draag make a heckuva first impression – on their self-titled album and, it turns out, in person. When the band – Adrian Acosta, Adrian De La Cruz, Jessica Huang, Carlos Michel and Danny Rossi – made their live debut […]
Archer Black’s debut album “Forgiveness Is a Weapon” in early 2012 was a jaw-droppingly ambitious exercise in orchestral (and some might say post-) rock, with singer/composer Dustin Morgan (ex-the Autumns) conjuring up apocalyptic images with sprawling soundscapes. Archer Black’s new EP, out next week, is a no less extravagant production, but the music is more […]
The vintage folk stylings of the Wild Reeds recall a distant, ostensibly more naive California where one had to be neither blind nor especially brave to see and do all that is right and good. On its debut “Blind and Brave” (due Aug. 9), the L.A. quintet submits that they are oblivious to today’s trenchant […]
Just when it seems like baroque pop had gone out of fashion, L.A.’s Wartime Recitals come out of nowhere with their whimsical keyboard riffs, sweet harmonies, sweeping violin and glockenspiel accents. The sextet’s musical gusto not only serves as a natural pick-me-up but also has the depth that would attract fans of Los Campesinos!, Fanfarlo and […]
The latest tease from Wildcat! Wildcat!’s forthcoming debut album is something that’d work great in a planetarium. “Holloway (Hey Love)” is a constellation of twinkling synths backing a meteor shower of falsetto harmonies, all propelled by a marching beat. The results are lush and almost choral – ever since their early singles, the L.A. outfit […]
The forthcoming debut EP from Castro will send you diving into the back of your closet for that old black jacket, if you were present during the heyday of the post-punk/New Wave movement that the L.A. quartet mines so deliciously. The band came together only a few months ago, with singer-guitarists Vincent Venturella and Jack […]
With its relentless cool, Stax horns and boy/girl charisma, Caught a Ghost breathed some new life into old soul when its debut full-length “Human Nature” was released in April. Besides being good for a steamy night in the club, Caught a Ghost’s songs have found their way into numerous TV shows and movies. And speaking […]
