In the jubilant final verse of Wires in the Walls new single “The Ringer,” the L.A. quintet sings en masse “Hang on tight / hang on tight / things are bound to better,” punctuating their slice of driving Americana with shouted optimism. It’s fitting, considering the band is working on a full-length album, its first […]
At one moment during Local Natives’ gleeful turn Saturday night at Walt Disney Concert Hall, singer-keyboardist Kelcey Ayer gazed longingly at the grand piano in front of him, which seemed not much smaller than a lot of clubs the Los Angeles quintet played during its two-year ascent into the indie-pop limelight. “This is the first […]
Husband-wife duos aren’t hard to come by anymore but Jacqueline Caruso and Augustus Green, who make up experimental pop duo Thurlow, are offering buoyant concoctions of electro beats and tender vocals that tickle the ear and lighten the heart. Originally from Washington, D.C., Thurlow’s move to L.A. has recently yielded the release of their debut […]
Despite growing up in New York and graduating from the prestigious Purchase Conservatory of Music for Recording and Composition, Jenny O packed her gear up and planted herself in sunny Los Angeles three years ago before completing her solo debut “Home.” Leaving one conglomerate music scene for another has its pros and cons – but […]
Goldenboy mastermind Shon Sullivan stretches out on “Sleepwalker,” his third album (out this month) for L.A. based Eenie Meenie Records. The former sideman for Elliott Smith, Eels and the Rentals has always been stronger as a songwriter than a vocalist, and his arrangements prevail here, whether it’s on full-on rockers like “Different Moon,” wistful pop […]
Orange County five-piece Kiev straddles the abyss between the organic and electronic on its debut EP “Ain’t No Scary Folks In On Around Here,” with intriguing results. They lay out some heavy, funky riddims, weave in some electro beats and atmospherics and punctuate it all with blasts of saxophone from Andy Stavas, one of two […]
How the cast of characters in Sing the Body Electric crossed paths owes to the strange synchronicity that runs like a current through a city like L.A. It involves connections like a manic poet and his itinerant songwriter buddy, the songwriter and his girlfriend, people who met while attending a local recording academy, people who […]
[Birthday greetings today to Light FM’s Josiah Mazzaschi. And here’s tonight’s menu:] Tonight’s entirely biased show recommendations, or Things to Ponder While Listening to Gang of Four on “Morning Becomes Eclectic” (11:15 a.m.): ‣ Buzz Bands LA’s night at the Satellite features Army Navy (pictured) – the L.A. quartet returning with an album’s worth of […]
The music of Army Navy is an exercise in precision: meticulously finding the right guitar tone or harmonics, layering melodies just so, fastidiously counterposing frontman Justin Kennedy’s winsome vocals against all the jangle. The L.A. quartet’s four-minute confections are a pop classicist’s delight – not to mention a guitar savant’s dream. So it’s no surprise […]
This is either a publicity stunt or a stroke of genius, but we’ll bite: Robotanists, the L.A. quartet doing this month’s residency at the Silverlake Lounge, have covered Radiohead’s “King of Limbs” and released it digitally. Well, that was quick. Robotanists’ take on the latest from Thom Yorke and gang simplifies the arrangements – no […]
