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April, 2011

  1. The Rumble, May 2011

    April 28, 2011 by A2S

    We’re going big for Cinco de Mayo when The Fling head to home base for The Rumble LA at The Echo with Apex Manor and The New Division.

    Long-Beach-bred, The Fling hark back to the glory days of those infamous Laurel Canyon jam sessions of the 70’s with their brand of psych-infused alt-country  folk rock. They’re  joining us for the entire West Coast run of The Rumble Tour in support of the re-release of When The Madhouses Appear (Dangerbird Records) on May 3rd.

    Ross Flournoy has risen from the ashes of The Broken West, with Apex Manor, who dropped their debut, The Year of Magical Drinking (Merge Records) this past January. Resident LA blogger and purveyor of amazing taste Surfing on Steam has already included it in his Best of 2011.  Aquarium Drunkard boldly claimed, “It’s going to be a tough race to craft a better pop record this year.” Perfectly-crafted SoCal sun-flecked power pop at it’s very best; this is the chance to catch Apex Manor before they hit the road with Jonny this summer.

    Riverside’s THE NEW DIVISION puts a new spin on 80’s styled beats and synths,
    à la New Order. The Rookie EP landed them a Forkcast nod from Pitchfork in November. Their single, “Starfield” is a crisp new wave gem that NME called, “a symphonic swath of synths fit for regal ceremony.”

    DJ HOLLOW EYED will be spinning between sets.

    Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158493654214753

    RSVP: http://therumblelosangeles.eventbrite.com/

    http://www.therumbletour.com/

    Category Features, Live | Tags: ,, | No Comments

  2. Manchester Orchestra’s new track “Virgin”

    April 27, 2011 by A2S

    Some experimental alt rock from the lovely Manchester Orchestra. The taunting chorus of youngsters coupled with the minor keys creates a dark and eerie mood for “Virgins.”

    “We build this house with our with our hands / and our time / and our blood.”

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  3. Eastern Conference Champions’ Speak-Ahh

    April 26, 2011 by A2S

    Former Philly, now Los-Angeles-based Eastern Conference Champions release their forth full-length Speak-Ahh today. This album is clearly a more developed and well-rounded sound than last year’s Santa Fe EP, yet John Ostrander’s mumbled and passionate wail alongside Melissa Dougherty’s soft backing harmonies is still uniquely ECC. The music rides on heavy drums from Greg Lyons, strong and groovy bass beats from Melissa and noisy chords from Ostrander with a result that is indie rock at it’s core.

    For me, it’s track two, “Hell or High Water” that caught my attention. Completely cinematic in it’s subtlety, it struck me while I was driving on the highway during sunset. Its absolute sadness, yet completely beauty is striking, opening with a minimal echoing piano melody, and leading into a weaving dance between drums, piano, and drum machine. Josh sings hopeless lyrics like “All I can say in defense / is may we should have taken the chance / I guess you were right,” leading into an upbeat bridge about numbing with household drugs. The heaviness continues in tracks like the sorrowful “Patience,” and the confident yet sad “Offkilter,” proclaiming “If love is easy, I’ll break your heart.”

    “Hell or High Water”

    The heaviness isn’t consistent or dragging on Speak-Ahh, with lighter tracks including the passionate and anthemic “Attica” and “Sunshine,” the noisey and groovy “Hurricane,” the bass-heavy chorus-laden “How Long,” dance-inspiring “Bull in the Wild,” and folky “Attica.”

    The ten-track full length Speak-Ahh is a polished and well-balanced album, drawing on every emotion and blending them into raw folk-tinged indie rock. It’s bands like Eastern Conference Champions that make the LA music scene so vibrant.

    Buy Speak-Ahh

    Category Albums | Tags: , | No Comments

  4. Givers’ Debut Album In Light

    by A2S

    Givers’ debut album In Light is set to be released June 7th. You’d never know that this quintet was from Lafayette, Lousiana–their pop sensibility infused into reverb-laden indie rock slots them perfectly alongside East Los Angeles mainstays Local Natives, Grouplove, and Lord Huron (which comes as no surprise knowing that the album was mixed by Ben Allen [Animal Collective, Deerhuner, Cee-Lo] and Chris Coady [Beach House, Grizzley Bear]).

    After tinkering indie-pop opening track “Up Up Up,” the album segues right into the dirtier and musically intricate “Meantime.” It’s then followed by the folk-infused “Saw You First” and “Ripe.” “Ceiling Of Plankton” and “In Your Eyes” are driven by a catchy afro-pop beat the it slows down a bit for the ballad “Go Out At Night.” The album closes with the passionate and catchy “Words” whose bridge and outro touch on a Japanese influence.

    In Light showcases a wide range of influences, while maintaining consistent to their own style of catchy indie-pop. It’s no wonder that they’ve been asked on tour by The Dirty Projectors and Ra Ra Riot. The hype around the band has already been buzzing and with this debut album, it will no doubt continue to grow

    Check out the folk-infused electro-pop “Saw You First”:

    Tour Dates…

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    Category Albums | Tags: | 1 Comment

  5. White Sea at The Echoplex

    April 23, 2011 by A2S

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  6. I Adore Savoir Adore

    by A2S

    A friend at Popmatters recently described one of his favorite bands as “beautifully noisy pop” and it really struck a chord with me (pun intended). That perfectly describes music I love. Beautiful melodies and essentially pop music, but just dirty enough to be interesting and provoke  repeat listens.

    Brooklyn’s Savoir Adore gets slipped into this genre, along with Metric, The New Pornographers, and Superchunk. Although they have a bit more sheen than some (their bio calls them “dream pop” and “adventure wave”), Paul Hammer’s and Deidre Muro’s soft vocals, their noisy guitar riffs, and melodic tinkering certainly gives the ear enough to play with. Their album In the Wooded Forrest was released on Cantora Records in July 2009. They’re making new music as we speak and hopefully will have a sophomore release by the end of the year.

    Neon Gold premiered their track “Sparrows” at the end of March and it’s magical.

    “Loveliest Creature”

    Category Features, MP3s | Tags: ,,, | No Comments

  7. White Sea is Multi-talented

    April 22, 2011 by A2S

    My first introduction to White Sea was an EP of remixes called This Frontier. I knew then that I liked Morgan Kibby (the life and soul of White Sea), with party tracks infused with sex noises like “Ladykiller,” the hauntingly beautiful and dangerous “Cannibal Love,” the upbeat pop track “Mountaineer,” the intricate Japanese-inspired instrumental song, “Oljato” and the groovy radio-ready “Overdrawn.”

    I then caught Morgan, along with her violinist beau, performing these eletro tunes on the rooftop of The Blind Pig at SXSW. When the tracks sounded identical to the album versions, I was thoroughly impressed and longed to hear more. It wasn’t until I saw her at The Satellite two weeks ago that I even realized that the remixes were not her only forte. Rocking out with a full band, Morgan’s voice was amplified in a whole new light, not to mention her sexual energy radiating from the stage.

    Less than a week later, I am introduced to three White Sea remixes, on totally separate occasions. The Britney Spears and Naked and Famous White Sea remixes I received from two separate acquaintances and RCRDLBL sent me her Lord Huron remix. Not only does she put out amazing original material, but she can remix with the best of them.

    Since they’re all completely different, I’m including a video for her “Ladykiller” as well as streams for all of the remixes. Some of them are downloadable and I highly recommend it!

    Catch White Sea tomorrow at tomorrow at the Echoplex with Jamaica, The Chain Gang of 1974 and DJ Jorf (Passion Pit) feat Papercut
    8:30pm /$10 adv; $12 dos / 18+

    Streams and video below…
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    Category Albums, Features | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  8. New Album from Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong

    by A2S

    ATO Records will release Los-Angeles-based Dawes sophomore album Nothing Is Wrong on June 7, 2011. Nothing Is Wrong is the follow-up to their Dawes’ 2009 debut, North Hills, after the dissolution of Simon Dawes. The album was recorded on 2″ analog tape (how retro), however they claim it’s a way “of focusing their energies and affirming their dedication to the creative process.” Guests on the record include Benmont Tench of The Heatbreakers on the organ and Jackson Brown’s guest vocals on “Fire Away.”

    The band describes themselves as “American rock n’ roll” and includes singer/guitarist Goldsmith, his brother Griffin on drums, keyboardist Tay Strathaim, and bassist Wylie Gelber. Their songs reflect a healthy influence of folk and country.

    Goldsmith is also a part of the supergroup Middle Brother with John McCauley of Deer Tick and Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit.

    Check out the new single “If I Wanted Someone”

     

    (more…)

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  9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.’s Debut LP Its a Corporate World

    April 19, 2011 by A2S

    I fell in love with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.when they played their first Los Angeles show as part of Futuresounds’ The Rumble Tour in September. Their live show is a big gimmick-y but they’re fun and their music is unique–like Animal Collective meets Deerhunter. After releasing Horse Power EP and two remix EPs, they’ve finally compiled a full-length. It’s a Corporate World will be released through Quite Scientific Records in conjunction with Warner Bros. Records.

    In addition, a double EP on vinyl will be made available for the first time and sold on their tour, featuring the Horse Power EP on the front, My Love Is Easy: Remixes Pt. 1 on the back, and comes complete with a pair ofChroma-Depth 3D glasses!

    The band will be on a headlining tour, starting May 10th in Boston. I’m hoping to catch them June 3rd at The Echo. See you there?

    TOUR…
    (more…)

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