Tuesday 11.17.09: SUPERSUCKERS / THE LAST VEGAS / COCKPIT / RIOT BRIDES

Supersuckers || Listen || Watch

Whether you were born with a tail or a pair of angel wings — or neither — the Supersuckers’ fire-and-brimstone rock and roll circus is guaranteed to get your blood up. From early punk blasts like 1994 Sub Pop classic La Mano Cornuda (translated: The Horned Hand) to the twang period that found the band backing Steve Earle on their eponymous 1997 EP, up to the forthcoming Get It Together, Eddie Spaghetti’s motley crew has lost none of its trademark piss and vinegar. (One new song is called “I’m a Fucking Genius.”) Like ex-Houston Buff Dizzy Dean famously said, it ain’t bragging if you can do it, and two nights of prime ‘Suckers at the Continental Club should have both band and crowd “Pretty Fucked Up” and then some. – Houston Press

with:
The Last Vegas || Listen
Cockpit || Listen
Riot Brides

8:30pm / $12 / 21+

Tuesday 11.10.09: THE SWEET KILL / BONE GUNN / KOZMONAUT / LITTLE BIRDS OF LOS ANGELES

The Sweet Kill || Watch

with:
Bone Gunn || Listen
Kozmonaut || Listen
Little Birds of Los Angeles || Listen

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Tuesday 10.27.09: BALLERINA BLACK / WRECK AND SLENDER / LAST EXIT / SATELLITE CRUSH

Ballerina Black || Listen || Watch

“Fans of the early Factory Records sound will savor the reverb-wrapped mope-rock of Ballerina Black. Full of solid hooks and riffs, this powerful threesome mixes grunge aesthetics with pop-y post-punk.” – Los Angeles Times

“Ballerina Black’s Electrifying new EP is a blend of energized Mope Rock with an early Factory Records ambience” – L.A RECORD

“The thunderous Los Angeles 3 piece, Ballerina Black, has brought back the shimmering reverb-drenched sound of post-punk 1980′s with contemporary hooks and hints reminiscent of 90′s grunge” – Los Angeles Weekly

with:
Wreck and Slender
Last Exit
Satellite Crush

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Sunday 11.01.09: SO MANY WIZARDS / PIZZA! / OLD BLOOD / FORT WIFE

So Many Wizards || Listen || Watch

So Many Wizards is a solo project brought to listeners out of the Long Beach, California area, courtesy of Nima Kazerouni. The music in itself is very involved and moves along a wide range of – emotion? tempo? orchestrations? – something intriguing enough to wonder what’s in the figurative water. We’re tasting an essence of Brit rock, folk, and pop rock with an eclectic edge.

Los Angeles audiences have been exposed to Kazerouni’s homegrown, relatable style for some time. Whether live on in studio, his vocals can switch from subdued to powerful and back so quickly, quite like the keys and guitar he uses in accompaniment. His real talent, however, is working a sound different enough to keep the listener involved.

At times it’s almost like we’re listening to some instrument with fourteen letters in its name, or better yet, one that hasn’t yet been invented. Layers, harmonies, and do our ears real good and keep our minds inspired towards such creative designs – and that’s why So Many Wizards is our pick for the day.- Beatcrave

with:
Pizza! || Listen
Old Blood
Fort Wife

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 11.22.09: LILYS / WE BREAK CAMERAS / THE MINOR CANON

Lilys || Watch

Since their formation in 1989, Kurt Heasley has taken the Lilys for quite a ride. With each album comes a somewhat different but appealing album while the frontman oils what appears to be a continuous revolving door of musicians and supporting cast. Perhaps the best complement the group could be paid is that they, much like the Rolling Stones did in their early days, have basically taken a style of music from across the pond and made it their own. The group’s previous album was the closest thing to Britrock from a Yankee band I heard in a long time, and this new album on reinforces that notion. And while it clocks in at under 40 minutes, the listening party for you will be about 55 to 60 minutes after finally realizing you’ve replayed the opening “Black Carpet Magic”. – Popmatters

with:
We Break Cameras || Listen
The Minor Canon || Watch

8:30pm / $10 advance, $12 day of show / 21+

Saturday 11.07.09: JASON FALKNER / NICO STAI / WAR CHILDREN

Jason Falkner || Listen

Jason Falkner’s new album, I’m OK…You’re OK, is the best album that Falkner has ever made.

This is quite a claim, I know, so let me back up a bit. His two previous full-length albums, Jason Falkner Presents Author Unknown and Can You Still Feel?, were better than almost anything released by any alt-rocker in the 1990s. Full of gorgeous melodies, pop hooks, and unique arrangements, Falkner proved himself a capable, confident, and extremely talented young musician. (A member of Jellyfish for only one album, Bellybutton, and of The Grays for only one album, Ro Sham Bo, Falkner had already proven himself both as a songwriter and as an exceptional bass player.)

Both …Author Unknown and Can You Still Feel? showcased an artist who was both unique and comfortably consistent at the same time. His rich voice and vocal phrasings carried from one song to another, and his instruments were always played and mixed with both considerable attention to detail and an extemporaneous feel.

So what, then, makes I’m OK…You’re OK such a remarkable comeback? Partly, the album is enhanced by the sheer technical aspect of its recording; with the exception of drums on one track and backing vocals on another, Falkner played all the instruments himself. He also wrote all the songs and produced and engineered the whole thing. (Again, the songs benefit significantly from his casual precision.) The melodies are intact, too: “Stephanie Tells Me” has a beautiful, rousing chorus, and the opening track, “This Time,” loops and weaves as Falkner builds guitars, basses, drums, and vocal harmonies. There is always something surprising in every Falkner song, and this album contains twelve tracks with dozens of places where you, the listener, will perk up your ears and say, “Woah! I didn’t see that coming! I wish I’d thought of that!” (The Japan-only bonus track, “I Don’t Mind,” is a perfect example, beginning as it does with piano and vocals and then breaking into a mind-bending climax of both vocal harmonies and instrumental flourishes.) – Blogcritics

with:

Nico Stai || Watch || MP3

On the verge of becoming America’s next big Indie Rocker. Evoking memories of Bob Dylan and Post Sgt. Peppers Beatles, Nico manages to create the fullest sound of any solo artist in recent memory. Easily the most musically intriguing solo artist to come along since Sufjan Stevens, and on track to become one of the great artists to emerge from the Echo Park/Silverlake scene. – The Deli Los Angeles

plus
War Children

8:30pm / $12 / 21+

Saturday 12.05.09: STELLASTARR* / TRANSFER / WHITE ARROWS

Stellastarr* || Listen || Watch

New York rock outfit Stellastarr* takes many musical cues from its new wave forbearers, ranging from the Cure-influenced chord structures to a post-punk potpourri of guitar effects. But the band’s third studio album demonstrates its unique strengths. A summer party album at its core, “Civilized” reflects its title as a model of admirably focused moderation. Delightfully restrained production gives plenty of breathing room for a full, resonant rhythm section, where similar dance rock might give more bandwidth to a hotter, shriller high end. Stellastarr* singer/guitarist Shawn Christensen’s voice varies between an ethereal, high register and a darker, more affected Ric Ocasek croon. But both blend richly with bassist Amanda Tannen’s airy backing vocals, which are rightfully given co-lead on upbeat jams such as “Prom Zombie” and let-me-down-easy tunes like “Move On.” Closer “Sonja Cries” brings the album’s high points to the fore, floating a ringing guitar line and lovely vocal harmonies over spacious drums and bass. – Billboard

with:
Transfer || Listen
White Arrows

8:30pm / $15 / 21+

Tuesday 01.19.10: HOT RATS / LEMON SUN

The Hot Rats (feat. Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey of Supergrass) || Listen || Watch

Back in June, we told you about a brand new British supergroup featuring Supergrass’s Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey and Radiohead producer/Thom Yorke’s favorite Nigel Godrich. They called themselves The Hot Rats and were working on a full-length consisting entirely of covers.

We can now tell you that come January 19th, you’ll be able to hear said full-length consisting entirely of covers when it is released in the U.S. via Fat Possum. No official tracklist quite yet, but the self-titled affair will feature 12 classics spanning 40 years of rock, punk and even hip hop. The Kinks, Velvet Underground and Pink Floyd to the Sex Pistols, Beastie Boys are all said to have received the “Hot Rats treatment.”

What’s more, Hot Rats will celebrate the release by hitting the states in January for what is currently a four-date coastal swing. – Consequence of Sound

with:
Lemon Sun || Watch || MP3

8:30pm / $15 / 21+

Saturday 10.17.09: SPEEDBUGGY / CHARLIE AND THE VALENTINE KILLERS / CHAMPAGNE VELVET

Speedbuggy || Listen

Sweat and style are the high-geared twin axles of Speedbuggy.

The sweat? Well, it’s their own. Speedbuggy are one of the hardest playing bands in country music, putting their nitro-fueled brand on a genre that’s been the soundtrack to American life — from the bottoms of the Brazos to the concrete canyons of the cities — for nearly 100 years.

And the style? That’s theirs, too, although Speedbuggy arrived at their unique sound through the prism of experience, history and a love for some of the greatest music from country’s past.

with:
Charlie and the Valentine Killers
Champagne Velvet

8:30pm / $10 / 21+

Tuesday 11.03.09: WARPAINT / SEASPIN / CORRIDOR

Warpaint || Watch

If you’re feeling bold, you might point out the possibility of Warpaint usurping Chan Marshall’s throne. As Cat Power delves deeper into “covers only” madness, it wouldn’t seem too out of step for another talented dream-pop songstress (or in this case, songstresses) with a penchant for slow-dissolve acoustic lilt and smoky harmonies to divert your attention. Warpaint’s “Billie Holiday” is in fact half of a cover, borrowing large chunks of the Smokey Robinson-penned 1964 classic, “My Guy” (a hit for Mary Wells) and rerouting the original’s giddiness to adopt a sort of apathetic haze that’s very much in need of a Xanax, or perhaps the victim of one too many. What Warpaint contribute otherwise (lullaby verses that give a shout-out to Lady Day, arresting vocal blending) is memorable, as the track conjures a palpable atmosphere, its subtle mix overseen by Red Hot Chili Pepper John Frusciante. Instead of employing any sort of trendy gimmick, Frusciante has the good sense to lay things bare and let the voices, arrangements, and guitars speak plainly, hinting at what’s found on the remainder of their Exquisite Corpse EP. – Pitchfork

With:
Seaspin
Corridor

8:30pm / $8 advance, $10 day of show / 21+

Tuesday 10.13.09: Ghettogloss Presents THE DEWANATRON EXPERIMENT

Dewantron

“Ghettogloss presents: THE DEWANATRON EXPERIMENT” at SPACELAND, Tuesday, October 13th – featuring an extremely rare Los Angeles performance by world-renowned electronic music pioneers Brian & Leon Dewan, plus a star-studded full-band array of special guest musicians – including YOURSELF if you’re so inclined!
In a groundbreaking FIRST for Spaceland, anyone can bring their own musical instrument to the show, receive a discount on the price of admission, and personally be a part of this historical event!
The New York Times calls Dewanatron “eccentric inventors and visionary entrepreneurs exploring and sharing a new, offbeat world of music, technology and homespun craft,” while The Los Angeles Times raves that in Dewanatron’s last mindshifting L.A. appearance, the expanded supergroup “at full roar…howled and warbled with demented mid-1960s fervor, all simple rhythms laced up with complex and freakish electronic wails, a retrofuturistic journey to the reinvention of the synthesizer” (see http://www.latimes.com/theguide/summer/la-gd-dewanatron1-2009jun01,0,1358074.story).
Let us digress for a moment here and pose an important music-related question to you:
Do you ever wish you could go back in time and actually perform on stage with the Beatles at The Cavern Club, groove with The Velvet Underground at Max’s Kansas City, be an integral player in Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable at The Factory, or personally be a part of legendary formative shows by groundbreaking, inventive artists such as, say, Radiohead, Devo, Kraftwerk, or (insert your favorite band here) at their respective historically-significant early venues?
Well, sorry, that’s ridiculous, you can’t.
(And if you did happen to be around at any one of those watershed musical moments and you could’ve actually been there, you more than likely wouldn’t have even gone out that night anyway, because you probably wouldn’t have found out about the show until the next morning, or you would’ve been too jaded, depressed, drunk, and/or high and sitting around at home watching TV and whining about how nothing cool ever happens and how everything sucks – and if a freakin’ miracle occurred and you did manage to actually be there, none of those bands would’ve let you show up with an instrument and actually play with them anyhow…)
So now’s your chance to finally be a part of musical history! Join in The Dewanatron Experiment at Spaceland, Tuesday, October 13th from 8:30 onwards! If this show doesn’t eventually become legendary, at least you will have given it a shot and enjoyed an amazing Tuesday night out with a bunch of great people! And if you don’t show up and participate, you just might regret it for the rest of you life…
Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door, and only $5 if you show up at Spaceland with your own instrument (random percussive objects, acoustic whatnots, strings, woodwinds, small portable keyboards, and/or/etc are welcome – anything you can reasonably carry on your person, nothing too bulky or on wheels or that will be irritating, intrusive, and/or unwieldy – all instruments subject to Spaceland and/or Dewanatron approval) to personally join in the exciting, engaging, and explosive experience of The Dewanatron Experiment!

8:30pm / $8 advance, $10 day of show, $5 discount if you bring your own instrument to join in / 21+

Sunday 10.04.09: DANTE VS ZOMBIES / GRAND ELEGANCE / GESTAPO KHAZI / DJ BEN WHITE

Dante vs. Zombies

with:
Grand Elegance
Gestapo Khazi
DJ Ben White

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 10.20.09: THE HAPPY STARS / THE MEADOWS / DOWNTOWN/UNION

The Meadows || Listen

“Los Angeles-based duo The Meadows don’t just have all the right influences (Pete Yorn, Teenage Fanclub Ryan Adams and The Jayhawks) in check on their self-titled debut, they’ve also got a stunning knack for songcraft. Boasting alternating frontmen Todd Herfindal (ex-Blue Sky Roadster and Single) and Kevin Houlihan (formerly of The Fundamentals and Moontower), the pair join forces to assert — through this resourceful and immediately charming 12-song cycle — that they’ve spent enough time in almost-famous bands. From the heaven-sent, swooning of “Been So Long” to the tender, reflective “Younger Yesterday”, The Meadows’ take on guitar pop –bolstered by thumbs-up harmonies and ace arrangements — can be as dazzling (“Turn It Around”) as it is exhilarating (“Dreamer”). – AllMusic

The Happy Stars
Downtown/Union

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Friday 10.16.09: I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME / VALE / AM VS FM

I will Never Be The Same || Listen || Watch

I Will Never Be The Same took the stage and seemed to break into full stride out of the gate with a fresh, yet completely confident professionalism. Bands with this much poise are usually seasoned veterans and while the individual members have some clout in their corner (Francis Ten is a member of West Indian Girl and Josh Atchley has producing, composing and scoring films listed under the work experience column of his resume) the band as a whole has only been together a short time. In fact, their first show was less than 2 months ago.

“Set Your World On Fire” which was played early on in the set prompted my companion, and fellow IWNBTS virgin, to tweet her first impression during the song: Watching @nynex set my world on fire with @angeleenie at viper room. Other fan and tastemaker favorites showing as much promise live as they do on the recording: “I Am Not The One,” “Starfields,” and their cover of The Lost Boys Theme “Cry Little Sister” drove the set around twists and turns keeping my oft easily-shifted attention focused on them. In a mesh of synth, ticking drums, bass and an expertly wielded wah-wah pedal, the night’s supreme highlight for me was “Eyes Turning Black,” which has also sparked the interest of Dave Navarro (we have similar taste it seems) who spun the song on his show Dark Matter recently. Not bad for having only played just under 10 shows; hell, that’s not bad for having played just under 10 months! – The Owl Mag

with:
Vale
AM vs. FM

8:30pm / $8 advance, $10 day of show / 21+

Saturday 10.31.09: THE FUXEDOS / PECULIAR PRETZELMEN / LOST MOON RADIO / JEAN PAUL YAMAMOTO

The Fuxedos || Listen || Watch

THE FUXEDOS are America’s favorite apocalyptic comedy-lounge-punk-jazz-storytelling-cinematic-what-the-hell?-art rock band, complete with costumes, props, and bizarrely humorous theatrics.

Members’ touring credits include such bands and acts as Les Claypool, Stolen Babies, Faun Fables, Coheed & Cambria, Idiot Flesh, and Cirque du Soleil. They’ve also individually recorded or performed with everyone from Erykah Badu to Eric Clapton and from the Silversun Pickups to The Game, and have appeared not only on the “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” game series, but also on Hans Zimmer’s score to “The Dark Knight.”

Tonight’s show also includes the Peculiar Pretzelmen, the live radio theatre of the Lost Moon Radio Show (members’ credits include Seth McFarlane’s “American Dad” and “MADtv”), and Jean Paul Yamamoto (with drummer Alan Myers from Devo).

“The Fuxedos are one of the most amazing, entertaining, enthralling, unique, hilarious and inspirational bands I have ever seen…[vocalist] Danny was a musical maniac onstage, donning masks, using crazy props, dancing up an astounding storm, singing dynamically, stomping, prancing, being riotously funny and crazed and mindblowing.”
– Paul Zollo, Sr. Editor, “American Songwriter” magazine; author, “Conversations with Tom Petty” and “Songwriters on Songwriting”

with:
Peculiar Pretzelmen
Lost Moon Radio
Jean Paul Yamamoto

DISCOUNT WITH COSTUME!

8:30pm / $5 with costume, $8 advance without, $10 day of show without / 21+

Thursday 10.01.09: AMUSEMENT PARKS ON FIRE (video shoot for “Flashlight Planetarium”) / NIGHTMARE AIR

Amusement Parks On Fire || Listen || Watch

video shoot for “Flashlight Planetarium”

Amusement Parks on Fire were holed up in Los Angeles not too long ago working on a new album. While we won’t see that release until early 2010 the band dropped the awesome Young Fight EP on iTunes and Amazon yesterday, and it’s incredible. Crushing guitars, melodic chord progressions and tightly would rhythms to tide you over. If a track like “In Our Eyes” represents what’s to come then we’re all in big trouble. You can also pick up the EP on during their current tour with Happy Mondays and Psychedelic Furs this month. – Surfing On Steam

with:
Nightmare Air

Bring your own flashlight!

8:30pm / 21+

Saturday 10.24.09: UNITED STATES OF ELECTRONICA / RED RADIO / WON FU (from Taiwan) / SCRABBEL

United States of Electronica || Listen || Watch || Mp3

Any indie dude can bawl a sad song, but singing a genuinely uplifting one is tougher. Conjuring the communal spirits of both club music and underground rock, this seven-piece Seattle act pack their emphatically nonautomated Europop with arena-rock guitars, giddy girlie vocals, and vocoders set to stun. Rewriting the rainbow positivity of old Philly soul anthems with an English-as-second-language earnestness that amplifies their band-of-outsiders bliss, these atypical party people ride a love train that doesn’t stop chugging until the final track. They just won’t allow you to mope. – Spin

Plus

Little Red Radio || Listen

Lara, one of the two lead vocalists for the Los Angeles-based Little Red Radio, is an explosive sexpot. Her rubbing of genitalia and gyrating energy unfortunately fell on a much tamer and less boozed up crowd than the music of the following acts. Should Little Red Radio have headlined this show, as they often do in their native Hollywood, it is likely that things would have been very different. Keys, guitar, horns, laptop, boom-chh-ka-chh drumming, barefeet and one very sparkly moomoo conjured up images of the Age of Aquarius, only twisted on MDMA, cocaine and Grey Goose. – Cinebarfly

with:
Won Fu
Scrabbel

8:30pm / $8 advance, $10 day of show / 21+

Wednesday 10.28.09: CLUB NME with SOULICO / CECI BASTIDA

Soulico || Listen || Watch || Mp3

“Put ‘Em Up” is representative of four-man Tel Aviv DJ crew Soulico’s cross-cultural chops– an exuberant synthesis of traditional Israeli folk melodies and familiar hip-hop sensibilities. They’ve got a new album called Exotic On the Speaker coming October 6 via JDub Records, which includes contributions from an array of guests, including Ghostface, Rye Rye, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, and Balkan Beat Box. – Pitchfork

with:
Ceci Bastida || Listen

8:30pm / $8 advance, $10 day of show / 21+

Sunday 10.25.09: Pabst Blue Ribbon presents the Canned Laughter Tour with NEIL HAMBURGER / MIKE O’CONNELL / RANDY LIEDTKE / NICK FLANAGAN

Neil Hamburger

If Neil Hamburger wasn’t the Funniest Man in America, why would the record company keep letting him make so many albums? Can’t answer that question, can you? No, it’s beyond dispute, he is the funniest. End of debate. Don’t even mention Jack Kevorkian, Neil is waaaaay, waaaaaaaay more side-splittingly hilarious, and he’s a much bigger bummer. And he’s got a million of ‘em – why, if one of his jokes falls flat or makes you groan or feel like gagging, or say the next 80 or 90 “gags” don’t exactly make you howl with uproarious laughter, just wait, because Neil will pounce with just a killer, killer line that will make you pee in your pants and nudge the guy next to you so he spills his drink (and when he hits you, that’ll be funny too). You’ll be glad you shelled out your money and chose to spend your time, on a Sunday night, no less, with America’s funny man, Neil Hamburger. – LA Weekly

With:
Mike O’Connell
Randy Liedtke
Nick Flanagan

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Sunday 10.11.09: THE AIRLINES / THE SURRENDER / PARADE OF LIGHTS / ECHO REVOLUTION

The Airlines

with:
The Surrender
Parade of Lights
Echo Revolution || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Thursday 10.29.09: LAND OF TALK / EULOGIES / THE MONTHLIES

Land of Talk || Listen || Watch

Let us make no mistake: Some Are Lakes, the first full-length from Land of Talk, is certainly a guitar record, but not some kind of fret-tapping, lightspeed-shredding guitar record. Neither is it some kind of convenient pop contrivance where the inclusion of guitars was just incidental in the album’s production. This is the kind of whiskey-induced guitar rock that you might expect to come from the regular band at your local bar, if the regular band at your local bar was really good.

And the album is propelled just as much by Powell’s vocals. Her lazy, sugary voice wants to bring every lost hope and pang to a boil on the album’s title track. On “Young Bridge,” Powell’s unfortunate caution makes its way into the listener’s skin and lives there. The record’s instrumentation gives its vocals form, but the vocals give the instrumentation a story.

The wonder of Some Are Lakes is the fact that such arguably masculine instrumentation goes such a long way to buoy Powell’s lady vocals. Neither takes a backseat, and the combination feels way natural. Maybe they should play this stuff at Taoist temples or something. – Prefix Mag

with:
Eulogies || Listen
The Monthlies || Listen

8:30pm / $10 advance, $12 day of show / 21+

Monday 10.26.09: Monday Night Residency – KROQ “Locals Only” Presents LIGHT FM / NIGHTMARE AIR / MODERN TIME MACHINES / PARADE OF LIGHTS

Light FM

Born in the clutches of art school angst and bitter Chicago winters, Light FM began as a beacon of hope for song writer Josiah Mazzaschi ­ a poppy bouquet of cheerful songs with meaningful yet dark lyrics heavy on retro synths and grand orchestration. Quickly gaining a name in the Chicago indie music scene as one of Chicago’s most promising new bands and being compared to The Cars, The Cure, Pink Floyd and The Rentals. Light FM’s first release, “This is the Beginning of my Golden Age” was heralded as “the post-punk antidote to radio’s latest disease” (Time Out), a band that “pushes the bounds of sonic experimentation while at the same time making their songs catchy and accessible.” (Daily Herald)

When Light FM moved to LA and released “Black Magic Marker” on Devil in The Woods Records, the band’s accessibility, emotional depth and high production value soon attracted popular Hollywood shows like “Gossip Girl”, “The Hills”, “The Dollhouse”, and “One Tree Hill”. Returning to his indie roots, Mazzaschi is currently self-releasing his third album, aptly titled “Let There be Light FM” ­ with the promotional support of Myspace Records “Friends and Family” program. Full of “sticky melodies, crunchy, fuzzed-out guitars and synths on steroids” (buzzbands.la) Light FM is returning to the stage with a residency at Spaceland in LA in October, also sporting a new lineup. After playing SXSW, the band took a break and regrouped with bassist/singer Nicole Fiorentino (Veruca Salt, Spinerette), drummer Byron Reynolds (Sea Wolf, Everest, Possom Dixon), and keyboardist/singer Sophia Male. “Let There Be Light FM” will be available on iTunes October 13, 2009.

with:
Nightmare Air (Dave Dupuis from Film School)
Modern Time Machines
Parade of Lights

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 10.12.09: Monday Night Residency – KROQ “Locals Only” Presents LIGHT FM / KAV / OBI BEST / WRONG WAY DRIVER

Light FM

Born in the clutches of art school angst and bitter Chicago winters, Light FM began as a beacon of hope for song writer Josiah Mazzaschi ­ a poppy bouquet of cheerful songs with meaningful yet dark lyrics heavy on retro synths and grand orchestration. Quickly gaining a name in the Chicago indie music scene as one of Chicago’s most promising new bands and being compared to The Cars, The Cure, Pink Floyd and The Rentals. Light FM’s first release, “This is the Beginning of my Golden Age” was heralded as “the post-punk antidote to radio’s latest disease” (Time Out), a band that “pushes the bounds of sonic experimentation while at the same time making their songs catchy and accessible.” (Daily Herald)

When Light FM moved to LA and released “Black Magic Marker” on Devil in The Woods Records, the band’s accessibility, emotional depth and high production value soon attracted popular Hollywood shows like “Gossip Girl”, “The Hills”, “The Dollhouse”, and “One Tree Hill”. Returning to his indie roots, Mazzaschi is currently self-releasing his third album, aptly titled “Let There be Light FM” ­ with the promotional support of Myspace Records “Friends and Family” program. Full of “sticky melodies, crunchy, fuzzed-out guitars and synths on steroids” (buzzbands.la) Light FM is returning to the stage with a residency at Spaceland in LA in October, also sporting a new lineup. After playing SXSW, the band took a break and regrouped with bassist/singer Nicole Fiorentino (Veruca Salt, Spinerette), drummer Byron Reynolds (Sea Wolf, Everest, Possom Dixon), and keyboardist/singer Sophia Male. “Let There Be Light FM” will be available on iTunes October 13, 2009.

With:
Kav || Mp3
Obi Best
Wrong Way Driver (Brian Thornell from Earlimart/Pine Martin)

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 10.05.09: Monday Night Residency – KROQ “Locals Only” Presents LIGHT FM / WE BARBARIANS / TIGERS CAN BITE YOU / QUEEN KWONG

Light FM

Born in the clutches of art school angst and bitter Chicago winters, Light FM began as a beacon of hope for song writer Josiah Mazzaschi ­ a poppy bouquet of cheerful songs with meaningful yet dark lyrics heavy on retro synths and grand orchestration. Quickly gaining a name in the Chicago indie music scene as one of Chicago’s most promising new bands and being compared to The Cars, The Cure, Pink Floyd and The Rentals. Light FM’s first release, “This is the Beginning of my Golden Age” was heralded as “the post-punk antidote to radio’s latest disease” (Time Out), a band that “pushes the bounds of sonic experimentation while at the same time making their songs catchy and accessible.” (Daily Herald)

When Light FM moved to LA and released “Black Magic Marker” on Devil in The Woods Records, the band’s accessibility, emotional depth and high production value soon attracted popular Hollywood shows like “Gossip Girl”, “The Hills”, “The Dollhouse”, and “One Tree Hill”. Returning to his indie roots, Mazzaschi is currently self-releasing his third album, aptly titled “Let There be Light FM” ­ with the promotional support of Myspace Records “Friends and Family” program. Full of “sticky melodies, crunchy, fuzzed-out guitars and synths on steroids” (buzzbands.la) Light FM is returning to the stage with a residency at Spaceland in LA in October, also sporting a new lineup. After playing SXSW, the band took a break and regrouped with bassist/singer Nicole Fiorentino (Veruca Salt, Spinerette), drummer Byron Reynolds (Sea Wolf, Everest, Possom Dixon), and keyboardist/singer Sophia Male. “Let There Be Light FM” will be available on iTunes October 13, 2009.

with:
We Barbarians
Tigers Can Bite You
Queen Kwong

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Friday 10.02.09: THE POSTMARKS / BROOKVILLE / ENDLESS HALLWAY

The Postmarks || Listen || Watch

the Postmarks, who, rather than dial it down DIY-ward, have ramped it up to the rafters with their second full-length collection of originals, Memoirs at the End of the World. In case the title and cover art didn’t clue you in, this is the Postmarks hopped up on some Mancini/Morricone/John Barry axis of cinephilia (something they touched on on last year’s cover outing By the Numbers) and embracing all the bold horns, cascading strings, and percussive panache that come with it. Lavish and evocative are the keywords here; there’s even a harpsichord effect on “Go Jetsetter”, a jazz trumpet outro on “Theme From ‘Memoirs’”, and some sitar business on the sumptuously arranged “All You Ever Wanted”. Several tracks also showcase a hitherto unheard grit: “Don’t Know Till You Try”, with its electronic chirps and dramatic brass, starts out sounding like a lite version of Broadcast’s “Pendulum”, while “For Better…Or Worse?” has all the tension of a spy thriller chase sequence, complete with a timpani-accented finale. Some more discerning listeners might rightly accuse the band of studio arsenal overkill, but for the most part Memoirs congeals into a thing of pristine orchestrated pop beauty. – Pitchfork

with:

Brookville || Watch

If you know Andy Chase, it’s probably as a producer who’s worked with the likes of the Smashing Pumpkins, Fountains of Wayne, Juliana Hatfield, Tahiti 80 and the Trashcan Sinatras, or as a member (with his wife, singer Dominique Durand) of the band Ivy. But Chase also fronts the side project Brookville, a vehicle for his unfailingly melodic guitar pop. Brookville’s third album and best yet, “Broken Lights,” is out next week; it’ll take you to that pop place. - Buzzbands.la

with:
Endless Hallway || Listen

8:30pm / $8 Advance, $10 day of show / 21+

Thursday 10.15.09: BLK JKS with THE GROWLERS / MACK WINSTON AND THE REFLECTIONS

Blk Jks || Listen || Watch || MP3

This strange, fascinating EP dramatizes the desperate fumbling for order amid chaos. Produced by the Secret Machines’ Brandon Curtis, the South African quartet generates a grimy whirlwind of noise containing everything from prog rock to dub reggae to folk, with somber singer Lindani Buthelezi fighting to be heard over fractured melodies and jagged rhythms. Offering more questions than answers, he groans, “Where did it all go wrong?” on “Lakeside,” then mutters, “What am I here for?” on the title track. BLK JKS’ cliché-free strategy would sustain a terrific full-length, hopefully soon. – Spin

with:
The Growlers || Listen || Watch
Mack Winston & The Reflections || Listen

8:30pm / $10 advance, $12 Day of show / 21+

Wednesday 10.14.09: Club NME with PEGGY SUE / SKY LARKIN / NEW ROMAN CANDLES

Peggy Sue || Listen || Watch

Headliners Peggy Sue are just back from recording their debut album in New York and it’s fair to say there’s a certain amount of expectation around the, now packed, Borderline. However there’s no suggestion of nervousness as Rosa and Katy along with drummer Olly burst into opening song Once We Were Strangers bristling with verve. They quickly follow with new single Lover Gone, a wistful two-minutes lamenting an ended relationship. After the comparative sedateness of the opening acts Peggy Sue’s set is powerful and lusty and using their most powerful instrument, Rosa and Katy’s voices, demand the crowd’s attention. They match Regina Spektor in quirky vocal gymnastics and even channel CocoRosie as their voices interweave and dance around each other. The set ends with smiles all round and their voices echoing around the room “The sea, the sea flows for me” – Peggy Sue have set sail and on this evidence they’re going to good places. – Londonist

With:
Sky Larkin || Listen
New Roman Candles

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Friday 10.09.09: When You Awake & Loudvine present O’DEATH / SLANG CHICKENS / FRONTIER RUCKUS

O’Death || Listen || Watch

Their name might conjure skull rings and stringy hair (it was actually plucked from a traditional Carolina folk song popularized by bluegrass kingpin Ralph Stanley), but O’Death’s pitchforks-at-the-campfire frenzy may be even more sinister than their moniker implies. Mixing the lawlessness of Hank Williams with the Gypsy fervor of Gogol Bordello, the band’s second album is a scrappy, vaguely deranged, country-punk mélange that goes down like an impeccably mixed mint julep: sweet until it burns. – Spin

with:
Slang Chickens || Listen
Frontier Ruckus || Listen

8:30pm / $8 advance, $10 day of show / 21+

Friday 10.23.09: Aquarium Drunkard Presents KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS / WHITE ARROWS / UNDER THE ASBURY

Kurt Vile & The Violators || Listen || Watch || MP3

Kurt Vile (real name, no gimmicks) has seemingly absorbed a lifetime’s worth of FM rock, and the ghosts of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, and others glimmer under the surface of his woozy, homemade bedroom pop. Vile recorded the majority of these songs on his own, and the sputter of the cheap drum software and the murmuring vocals testify to the kind of guy who doesn’t want to wake up his parents upstairs. Nonetheless, even in this sleepy, abstracted form, there is no mistaking the widescreen Tom Pettyisms of “Freeway”, from the wry hiccup of the vocal to the sunshower of jangling guitars that accompanies the track. Constant Hitmaker, his 2008 debut on Gulcher, snagged the ear of an attentive few, and now it is being reissued along with God Is Saying This To You, a limited edition LP, on vinyl. The sound of God Is Saying This To You is slightly cleaner and clearer than the bleary, sound effects-addled Constant Hitmaker, but that only means Vile sounds like he’s singing from the bottom of a mineshaft this time instead of from the ocean floor. And it still feels like you’re eavesdropping: Vile delivers every line in an amiable mumble, the sort of voice you use when you’re humming something to yourself and only know every other word: “Hey girl, come on over, that’ll be just fine. Two packs of red apples for the ride home,” he murmurs over and over again on “Red Apples”, and it sounds like the half-remembered chorus of some John Mellencamp song.

Vile has talked in interviews about his various odd jobs (he sings about operating a forklift on Constant Hitmaker) and his single, unfruitful semester in community college, and it rounds out the portrait suggested by his music: that of the talented but aimless kid in high school, the one who smoked pot every day but read philosophy textbooks in his free time, the sort of guy who identified viscerally with the borrowed blue-collar sentiments of classic rock radio. Kurt Vile channels this hangdog charm effortlessly, scrawling wayward little vocal melodies like the one on “Breathin Out” with the ease of a hesher Bob Pollard. Sections of Constant Hitmaker are bogged down with a few too many pedals-and-loops sound collages, but for most of the ride, Constant Hitmaker/God Is Saying This To You ambles dreamily along a perfect midway point between the disorientingly weird and the comfortingly familiar. – Pitchfork

with:
White Arrows
Under The Asbury

8:30pm / $8 adv, $10 doors / 21+

Wednesday 10.21.09: Club NME with CHOIR OF YOUNG BELIEVERS / BUDDY / MAKE MOON

Choir of Young Believers || Listen || Watch

When listening to Denmark’s Choir of Young Believers, it’s hard not to imagine an army of white-clad singers with arms outstretched, their voices raised in holy polyphony—in fact, the Danish group is the brainchild of one 26-year-old Jannis Noya Makrigiannis. For years, Jannis moved in the underground circles of the Copenhagen indie scene. After the breakup of his old band in 2006, he moved to the Greek island of Samos and began developing his own solo material. Jannis returned to Copenhagen and, gathering musicians and friends around him, formed Choir of Young Believers, an orchestral-pop project marked by magisterial melodies, dark lyrical concerns, and a healthy dose of cathedral-grade reverb.

The songs on Choir of Young Believers’ debut album This Is for the White in Your Eyes mix modest folk arrangements with ambitious, grandiose indie pop, cooled with a stoic Nordic distance and glowing with an inner light. Musical nods to Roy Orbison, The Beach Boys, Pixies, and Hank Williams abound, but Jannis and his Choir Of Young Believers have forged their own neck-tinglingly singular sound. Live, the Choir takes many different shapes and sizes. Jannis often performs as a duo with a guitar or a piano and cello; other times, up to eight people fill the stage, playing everything from strings and horns to percussion and bells. The one constant is Jannis’ voice: clear, mournful, stretching to the heavens. – Ghostly International

With:
Buddy
Make Moon
Resident DJs Dia & Solid Todd Spinning

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Thursday 10.08.09: A HAWK & A HACKSAW / DAMON & NAOMI / THE GRIZZLY OWLS

A Hawk & A Hacksaw || Listen || Watch

Delivrance is a collection of songs as much as it is a vast travelogue of the duo’s journeys through Budapest, Turkey, Israel, Transylvania, and so on. What’s most compelling about Delivrance is that the music isn’t so much indicative of one particular region. The album full of history, knowledge, and a love for the people Barnes and Trost met along the way.

The album opens with “Foni Tu Argile,” a Greek composition traditionally played on bouzouki. Barnes and Trost transform the number into a rousing, foot-stomping celebration in the minor key. Continuing in this vein, “Kertesz” begins with the rattling siren call of Balogh’s cimbalom and Barnes’s propulsive accordion before launching into a full on polka attack complete with Trost’s nimble violin playing. Trost’s own composition, “Vasalisa Carries a Flaming Skull Through the Forest,” is a standout, and not just because of its provocative name. Cimbalom, violin, and accordion wheeze and whir in disjointed harmony as Trost conducts a distinct sense of unease, almost to suggest that what may be even creepier than Vasalisa’s flaming skull is what may be lurking in the darkness behind her. It may be an upsetting image were the track — and the album as a whole — not such an engaging, joyous experience. – Prefix Mag

With:
Damon & Naomi || Listen
The Grizzly Owls || Listen

8:30pm / $12 / 21+

Monday 10.19.09: Monday Night Residency – KROQ “Locals Only” Presents LIGHT FM / HIS ORCHESTRA / THE MEETING PLACES / LOST LAKE

Light FM

Born in the clutches of art school angst and bitter Chicago winters, Light FM began as a beacon of hope for song writer Josiah Mazzaschi ­ a poppy bouquet of cheerful songs with meaningful yet dark lyrics heavy on retro synths and grand orchestration. Quickly gaining a name in the Chicago indie music scene as one of Chicago’s most promising new bands and being compared to The Cars, The Cure, Pink Floyd and The Rentals. Light FM’s first release, “This is the Beginning of my Golden Age” was heralded as “the post-punk antidote to radio’s latest disease” (Time Out), a band that “pushes the bounds of sonic experimentation while at the same time making their songs catchy and accessible.” (Daily Herald)

When Light FM moved to LA and released “Black Magic Marker” on Devil in The Woods Records, the band’s accessibility, emotional depth and high production value soon attracted popular Hollywood shows like “Gossip Girl”, “The Hills”, “The Dollhouse”, and “One Tree Hill”. Returning to his indie roots, Mazzaschi is currently self-releasing his third album, aptly titled “Let There be Light FM” ­ with the promotional support of Myspace Records “Friends and Family” program. Full of “sticky melodies, crunchy, fuzzed-out guitars and synths on steroids” (buzzbands.la) Light FM is returning to the stage with a residency at Spaceland in LA in October, also sporting a new lineup. After playing SXSW, the band took a break and regrouped with bassist/singer Nicole Fiorentino (Veruca Salt, Spinerette), drummer Byron Reynolds (Sea Wolf, Everest, Possom Dixon), and keyboardist/singer Sophia Male. “Let There Be Light FM” will be available on iTunes October 13, 2009.

with:
His Orchestra
The Meeting Places
Lost Lake

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 10.18.09: HellYa!Night with MICHAEL RUNION / HAIM / THE PINK SNOWFLAKES / TWO GUNS

Michael Runion || Listen || Watch

Michael Runion grew up in Ventura CA, playing bass for crust and punk bands in thrall to the likes of Polvo and Unwound. After moving to Los Angeles and paying his rent by selling ‘zines and founding lauded silk screen clothing company Deathcamp (whose clothes have been worn by 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, Will Smith and a whole host of other B list celebrities you have never heard of). As opposed to being a straight company Deathcamp was more a loose collection of artists, creatives, hipsters and hangers on all living out of a squat in East LA that soon became infamous locally.

This sense of collective pursuit of artistic integrity combined with a strong sense of communal living heavily informed the way that Michael would go on to create himself, constantly giving all he could both as an individual and in group situations. Wander around LA and on any given corner on any given day and there will be someone who has sang with, written with, shared a stage or a bar stool with Michael Runion more than willing to recount at least one tale of how he can capture and captivate in seconds. – Name Me Someone That’s Not A Parasite

With:
Haim
The Pink Snowflakes || Listen
Two Guns

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Thursday 10.22.09: BRAKESBRAKESBRAKES / EZRA FURMAN & THE HARPOONS / RACHEL GOODRICH

BrakesBrakesBrakes || Listen || Watch

Brighton-based supergroup Brakes impress once again with this extraordinary blast of 60s-tinged rock’n'roll. Referencing The Beatles, The Byrds, Ride and Smashing Pumpkins, the quartet’s third LP is a riotous journey through the last four decades of left-field guitar-pop. From the wry psych-rock of ‘Don’t Take Me To Space(Man)’ to the catchy bubblegum of ‘Oh! Forever’, it’s a delightfullt diverse indie gem. Formed in 2003 by Thomas and Alex White (The Electric Soft Parade), Eamon Hamilton (British Sea Power) and Marc Beatty (The Tenderfoot), Brakes released their debut album, Give Blood, in 2005 to widespread critical acclaim. Album of the year in Rough Trade’s shops, it was a fine introduction to the band. Now signed to local South Coast imprint Fat Cat (home to Frightened Rabbit and The Balky Mule), the quartet continues to go from strength to strength. A furious blend of folk, punk, country, grunge, pop and soul, Touchdown is Brakes’ most well rounded album to date. Bold, intelligent and enjoyable, it’s the work of a band operating at the peak of its creative powers. Both fiercely original and knowingly referential, it has the makings of a contemporary Brit-rock classic. – Rock ‘N Reel

With:

Ezra Furman & The Harpoons || Listen

If you’re Ezra Furman, you’re right out of college and the man in the grey suit threatens to steal your soul, so you fend off encroaching suburbia with a batch of new tunes. On his second album of jittery, willfully naive folk-punk, Furman plays the alienated romantic geek, employing a wobbly sense of pitch to better effect than anyone since the early Violent Femmes. “We Should Fight,” the great howling mess of an opener, sets the tone, all raw guitars and protestations of uncompromising humanity. The rest of the songs—alternating between strident rockers and swooning ballads—are overwrought, goofy, achingly sincere and totally original. Even his failures are charmingly his own, like the damaged sea chantey that erupts in the middle of “The Dishwasher,” an otherwise meandering folk ballad. Real life will intrude soon enough for Furman. Thankfully, he appears committed to spending the interim bashing out songs, working on his poet-laureate credentials and celebrating the sheer, giddy wonder of being young and alive. – Paste Magazine

plus:
Rachel Goodrich

8:30pm / $10 adv; $12 doors / 21+

Saturday 10.03.09: YOU ME & IOWA / RADARS TO THE SKY / THE VELTEXANS

You Me & Iowa || Listen || Watch || Mp3

Fueled by superb playing and an oddly appealing space-Viking theme (don’t ask, just check their MySpace), You Me & Iowa deliver a smart pop record with their first full length release, The Adventures of You Me & Iowa. Led by Andrew Carroll’s light vocals, the band sits comfortably between The Beach Boys and Of Montreal, skirting the psychedelic electronica of the latter and erring on the side of a Harvard educated version of the former. (See “Valhalla,” likely a reference to the mythological home of the Norse gods. Wagner would be proud.) Like an older, slightly more cynical Vampire Weekend, these boys fill this album to the brim with catchy hooks, tight harmonies and snappy guitar riffs.

Stand out tracks on the album include “Goldfish” with its gorgeous guitar intro, “Tommy Hall” and “Margaret Mourning,” minus the synthesizer at the beginning which doesn’t seem to quite lock in with the rest of the band. “Margaret Mourning” is also notable with one of the best melodies on the album and the lovely guest vocals by Ashley Powell. Drummer Tony Benedetti keeps the whole affair together with inventive drumming and lays down a few good danceable grooves with bassist Ryan Julio.

Lyrically, You Me & Iowa find themselves a little less than focused, but maybe that’s the point. Adrift and more than a little tired of it all, You Me & Iowa hide a sense of longing in their well-packaged, sunny-day pop tunes. On “Valhalla,” Carroll croons, “Six hundred years, we have come so long and come so far. Bye, bye. Bury me.” If The Adventures… is any indication of things to come, history will do anything but bury You Me & Iowa. – Amplifier Magazine

with:
Radars to the Sky
The Veltexans || Listen

8:30pm / $8 adv; $10 doors / 21+

Saturday 10.10.09: POLVO / THE MOON UPSTAIRS / MODERN MEMORY

Polvo || Watch || MP3

Polvo are the O.G.s of math-rock, doing densely epic and tightly wound guitar epics back when everyone was trying to find flannel in their size and do songs with only three chords. Then Polvo went away in the 1998 when the group imploded after moving to Tough & Go from the comfy confines of Merge. But in 2008, the group got together to do All Tomorrow’s Parties in New York and decided to reunite in wax form, cutting the eight tracks that form In Prism, their third album for Merge (and fifth overall), and first since 1997′s Shapes. There are a few things you can count on: loud guitars, the mood claustrophobic, and the overall sound 1995-like. All of which are great things. – Prefix Mag

with:
The Moon Upstairs || Listen
Modern Memory || Listen

8:30pm / $15 / 21+

Friday 10.30.09: AMY MILLAN (OF STARS) / BAHAMAS / ANNIE STELA

Amy Millan (of Stars) || Listen || Watch

Before she became the shimmering voice of Canadian indie heroes Stars, Amy Millan lived with members of bluegrass band Crazy Strings and it’s her old roommates’ influence – and presence – that shines through her debut solo album. Her themes of love, loss and loneliness, are nothing new, and nor are the songs, written between 1990 and 2000.

But Millan has never sounded more enchanting or as exposed, oozing resignation as she relinquishes her grip in Losing You, woozily sinking to the bottom of a glass in Pour Me Up. The warm bluegrass of Blue in Your Eye sounds like a Be Good Tanyas gem, while the rocky sensuality of Skinny Boy stems from her day job.

Pop fans will think it’s a country album, country purists will deem it pop and contributions from friends in both Stars and Broken Social Scene adds a conflicting rock slant. What’s not in doubt is that Millan makes it work. – The Guardian UK

with:
Bahamas
Annie Stela || Listen

8:30pm / $13 adv, $15 doors / 21+

Tuesday 10.06.09: 89.9 KCRW presents ROBYN HITCHCOCK AND THE VENUS 3 (featuring Peter Buck, Bill Rieflin and Scott McCaughey) / THE PARSON RED HEADS

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 (feat. Peter Buck, Bill Rieflin and Scott McCaughey) || Listen

In spite of a violet, twilit snowscape on the cover and the title’s nocturnal farewell, Goodnight Oslo is Robyn Hitchcock’s sunniest record in ages. Recording with a gaggle of friends will do that. It’s the prolific eccentric’s second with The Venus 3—Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, and Bill Rieflin—and guests include lead Decemberist Colin Meloy, Egyptian Morris Windsor, and Sean Nelson of Harvey Danger. Two songs even feature female backing vocals, a rarity for Hitchcock. “Saturday Groovers” best exemplifies the light mood: Its bounce is borne along by harmonies and handclaps. The good vibes go hand-in-hand with playful experimentation. “TLC” has a ’50s-style lope, the gallop of “Hurry For The Sky” brings it close to country, and Peter Buck lays “Sixteen Years” on a bed of bristly guitar fuzz. (Longtime fans looking for something slower and more contemplative can enjoy “I’m Falling” and the ominous title track.) Since his last batch of originals in 2006, Hitchcock has reissued much of his discography. Thankfully, that glance backward was just that: a glance. The vitality that fuels Goodnight Oslo makes it feel like Hitchcock is saying hello for the first time. – A.V. Club

with:
The Parson Red Heads

8:30pm / $18 advance, $20 doors / 21+

Wednesday 10.07.09: Club NME with JACK PENATE / MIIKE SNOW

Jack Penate || Listen || Watch

Jack Penate has responded by junking his previous incarnation, finding a sympathetic producer in Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Maxïmo Park) and re-emerging with an album of good-natured, more-ish dance-pop, its multi-layered sound so unexpected that Matinee now seems like the work of someone else entirely. Once noted for his strange knock-kneed dance moves, Peñate has suddenly found a sense of rhythm; recent single Today’s Tonight merges Afrobeat and house music, while Give Yourself Away piles on the samba drums and squalling guitars, suggesting recent discovery of the Santana back catalogue.

There are trumpets, strings, a barrage of percussion and all manner of instrumental flourishes that might have left Peñate, in his eagerness to reinvent himself, mired in self-indulgence. Despite the broader palette, there’s no sign of bloating and the album comes in at just nine tracks, all of them punchy, and in their lyrical and sonic optimism, defiantly pop. The title track is both hymn to the joy of seeing the world through less jaundiced eyes and faintly autobiographical, given its chorus of “everything is new now/dance away defeat”, and the overarching mood is of facing down your fears. That includes the biggest one of all, as Let’s All Die celebrates the arrival of the grim reaper by breaking out the party hats, its mariachi brass and rattling drums equal parts Mexican Day of the Dead and New Orleans funeral march.

After a few listens to Everything is New, it’s clear the title is no plea to be forgiven for past sins. Skins have been shed, batteries recharged and the traditionally difficult second album dashed out with apparent ease. Of all the young artists that might have managed that feat, who’d have thought it would be this one? – The Guardian UK

With:
Miike Snow

8:30pm / $12 / 21+