LA Weekly

L.A.’s independent music scene is kinda like Disneyland, in a good way: It’s not a single scene, but a collection of vaguely overlapping, inherently interconnected worlds with their own attractions. The Magic Kingdom has Tomorrowland; we’ve got Spaceland. And so, in a highly unscientific, pretty tongue-in-cheek manner, we pay tribute this week to a couple of L.A.’s liveliest little worlds — the Eastside indie-rock scene and the Stones Throw Records family — as well as some of the artists just off Main Street who made news this year. We couldn’t fit everybody, but we’ll getcha soon enough. Meanwhile, keep digging your scene.


Honey Catacombs
Where you just might bump into Darker My Love, the Blood Arm, Gosling & Midnight Movies!

Midnight Movies. Even a quality product is subject to upgrades, and 2006 welcomed Midnight Movies, Version 2.0. Among its new features: Frontwoman Gena Olivier is now stationed at a keyboard instead of a drum kit, handing over the percussive torch to new member Sandra Vu (who occasionally ducks out from behind her drums to trill on a flute). Bassist Ryan Wood is also a fresh addition, and the foursome — rounded out by guitarist Larry Schemel — delivers a newly intensified, ever-intelligent brand of spacey psychedelic rock. Some things never change: This nocturnally romantic outfit will always be anchored by Olivier’s powerfully haunting vocals. Dec. 16 at the Troubadour, with the Silversun Pickups. (Alie Ward)

Darker My Love. After stewing in their juices for roughly seven years, psychedelic quartet Darker My Love emerged from the brine and into the light with a packed monthlong residency at Spaceland, a coveted opening slot for Wolfmother and a newly minted album. Their self-titled debut (Dangerbird) is a deliciously stoney blend of reverberating guitar, lazy vocals, and that blanket of distortion that’s become ubiquitous these days in Silver Lake/Echo Park. Live, the foursome is a sight to behold, with Tim Presley delivering some gnarly guitar solos and emitting ethereal vocals, while former Distillers drummer Andy Granelli pounds away with a mania that’s truly mesmerizing. (Alie Ward)

Gosling. There’s just something about a young man in a sports jacket screaming like an ape. Over thick retro guitar and piano, Gosling frontman Davey Ingersoll’s vocals range from low, hollow throwbacks of late-’60s pop to an enraged, throat-searing wail. The mix of control and manic abandon, coupled with genuinely hooky pop choruses, ensure that the foursome’s V2 release Here is... is worthy of compulsive listening. Live, Isaac Carpenter’s peppy drumming, Mark Watrous’ hopping between keys and guitar, and Shane Middleton’s stoic and insistent bass make for an act that’s deeper than just four lads with dapper haircuts. Which, yes, they are. (Alie Ward)

The Blood Arm.Yeah, Franz Ferdinand loves ’em. But why wouldn’t they? The Blood Arm’s no-frills-lotsa-thrills brand of catchy classic rawk shoots right between the eyes with sticky melodies and dramatic delivery. Live, they take audience participation to a whole other level, with singer Nathaniel Fregoso spending as much time climbing on the crowd’s heads as he does flinging himself spastically across the stage. Strokes comparisons are close but no cigar, evidenced by TBA’s recently released Lie Lover Lie (City Rockers), a grimy collection of inner-city blues that digs much deeper than that to reveal big, bleeding hearts that are pure Los Angeles. (Scott T. Sterling)

Great American Garageland
Where you’ll strut with Bloodcat Love, the Sharpease, the Ettes & the Holograms!

The Sharp Ease. Feted by freak-folk Arthur Magazine and fated for general overall success as punk wunderkinder, the Sharp Ease exit 2006 victoriously with their 180-gram virgin (!) vinyl (!) Remain Instant 12-inch EP/DVD (olFactory). Never mind that it took the Sharp Ease — diva Paloma Alexandra Parfrey, saxophonist Anika Stephen, bassist Dana Barenfeld, guitarist Aaron Friscia and drummer Christene Kings — more than four years to produce an album. Hey, Siouxsie and her Banshees took years to score a record deal too. You can almost palpably feel each of those 126,230,400 seconds radiating white heat from the pit of the groove itself. Jan. 16 at UCLA’s Bruin Plaza. (David Cotner)

The Ettes. With a name like the Ettes, you might expect a super-fluffy, cutesy band — and it’s true that Coco Hames has a sweetly melodic voice and a gift for exhilarating pop hooks. But guitarist Hames, bassist Jem Cohen and drummer Poni Silver amp up their tales of romantic desperation with a nonstop garage-rock frenzy on their debut CD, Shake the Dust (Sympathy for the Record Industry), produced by Liam Watson (White Stripes, the Kills). Let’s hope we don’t lose this ever-touring group to Detroit or Memphis — the Ettes fit in better with rootsy revisionists like the Detroit Cobras and the Oblivians than they do with most L.A. bands. (Falling James)

The Holograms. The perpetually carefree cheerleaders. The dye-drenched punkettes who do naughty things behind the bleachers. The good-grade-gettin’ girlie girls who somehow find the time to exchange countless Hello Kitty–imprinted notes... The Holograms are all of these. Though they sing about drunk dialing, scene whores and weekend benders, these bubbly nymphs never come off too tough or trashy; their sugar definitely trumps their spice. Their cartoonishly cute outfits, sassy stage banter and übercatchy, bubblegum-buoyant choruses (as heard on their Teenacide Records debut Night of 1000 Ex Boyfriends) helped the Holograms win our hearts this year... and that of Little Steven Van Zandt, with whom they’re in talks to collaborate. (Lina Lecaro)

Bloodcat Love. Renowned-about-town DJ and career scenester Myles Hendrik knows what gets booties on the dancefloor. The fashionable frontman for Bloodcat Love has isolated those very elements — catchy guitar lines, baritone pop vocals and adhesive retro-soaked melodies — and distilled them into tracks so danceable, they immediately feel like a guilty pleasure. The newly formed quartet has already toured with Australian buzz band Jet, and managed to upstage several local headliners in a recent string of L.A. appearances. Their debut album won’t be out until next year, but it’s highly likely to be a radio-ready release. Dec. 10 at Spaceland; every Wed. in Jan. at Club Moscow at Boardner’s. (Alie Ward)