“There are Cosby sweaters in it,” says lead vocalist Davin Givhan of the L.A.-based quartet Detangler. True as that may be of the new Mark Thornton-directed clip for “We’re Defeated,” Detangler wears its psych-rock influences and just as well. The band’s noisy, buzzing guitars and reverb-laden vocals can be heard further in songs such as […]
Singer-songwriter Holly Conlan is in most ways exemplary of the Hotel Café scene (although 10 years on now, maybe we should be calling it a “legacy”). She writes bright pop songs that are as smart lyrically as they are nimble melodically – the latter quality, like many of her peers, helping her tunes find their […]
When the Open Feel hit our eardrums with their self-titled EP in 2011, it was a tidal wave of ’90s nostalgia thanks to their combination of shoegaze and roaring rock. However, Katie Harris and Tom Brayton don’t just flash back or wear their influences, they’ve revitalized it with dream-pop in the cleanest manner. The duo […]
Gap Dream could very well end up being the best subplot of the growing Burger Records legend. The man behind the name, Gabriel Fulvimar, moved to southern California from Cleveland last December – something about the weather, he says – and took up residence at the label’s headquarters in Fullerton. There, Fulvimar began living the dream – […]
L.A.-based power-popper Adam Bones and his all-female supporting cast of Rikki Styxx, Tracy Lambertucci and Breanna Fields recall the days rock ’n’ roll lived and smiled by the power chord. Bones’ new EPÂ “Rock It Up,” his first outing since 2009’s “Feel For Tomorrow,” is an old-school spine-stiffener that’s equal parts riffage, rhythms and audacity – […]
Singer-guitarist Brandon Robbins offers a lot of apologies in “Sorry,” the new single from L.A.-based trio the Moth & the Flame. But one matter about which he and bandmates Mark Garbett and Andrew Tolman have no regrets is moving to Los Angeles a couple of years ago from Utah. In 2011, the trio self-released a […]
Don’t worry. Bear Attack‘s music sounds nowhere near as vicious as their name. The quintet, comprised of Mia Minichiello, Eric Radloff, Brandon Bae, Nick Campbell and Logan Shrewsbury, seem sweet enough, with their boy-girl folk-pop melodies. Formed during their time together at USC, Bear Attack’s sound can be as cheerful as the title track of their new EP “Broke.” […]
Technology marches on, and in its slipstream songwriters’ sometimes-quixotic quest to marry traditional instrumentation with synthetic sounds. The debut EP from Savio Savio (available as a free download here) takes that challenge into heady territory. Savio Savio is the brainchild of Ray Suen, the classically trained violinist and multi-instrumentalist who is one of the most […]
Following up 2010’s “Come What Will,” Patrick Park has finally returned this week with the EP, “We Fall Out of Touch,” via RSRCH + DVLP. That’s the newly-launched label by Dave Trumfio (Wilco, MMJ, Grandaddy, Earlimart), the producer who collaborated with Park on the previous album and 2007’s “Everyone’s In Everyone.” Stripped down and but still rich […]
Daniel Brummel knows hooky guitar rock. He has spent more than a decade as bassist-singer in Ozma, played in L.A.-based bands Spain and the Elected and even filled in with Weezer for a time. His work as bandleader of the L.A. sextet Sanglorians is another beast – a maniacal collision of power-pop and prog-rock that […]
