Infinite Shuffle

March 27, 2011

64 – Dawes

Filed under: D, Los Angeles — assman41 @ 12:01 am

I feel like I’d heard of Dawes awhile ago, but the first time they ever really got my attention was a couple of weeks ago when I heard the single, “When My Time Comes”, on NPR — David Dye’s World Cafe, to be exact.

Halfway through my first listen, I was already hooked and was using the Shazam app on my phone to find out the song’s artist and title.

As it turns out, the song has been around for a while, having been released on the band’s debut album, North Hills, in August 2009.

The album title is a reference to the area of Los Angeles where the band resides. The North Hills region is ground zero for the “Laurel Canyon sound” pioneered by such folk-rock icons as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

With the release of North Hills, Dawes officially picked up the torch from CSN&Y and channels the group on most of the songs on the album. Another strong influence is The Band, which can be heard on several tracks, especially the opener, “That Western Skyline”.

Dawes – That Western Skyline

As it turns out, the album’s most popular song is also its lone outlier. While the other 10 tracks hearken back to the best of ’70s-era folk-rock, “When My Time Comes” has a much more modern indie-folk feel.

In fact, the song sounds almost like a mash-up of contemporaries Mumford & Sons and The Avett Brothers.

Dawes – When My Time Comes

In my opinion, the video version of the song is actually better than the one on the album, which seems a little more restrained in comparison. I believe they may have re-recorded since and punched it up a bit.

Dawes is touring all across the country this spring, including dates with Deer Tick and Brett Dennen. Unfortunately, their schedule doesn’t quite jibe with mine.

But if you’re interested seeing them, check out their MySpace page or their blog.

October 17, 2010

47 – Best Coast

Filed under: B, Los Angeles — assman41 @ 12:01 am

The band Best Coast first entered my field of vision early in my recent vacation, while I was browsing an Urban Outfitters in suburban St. Louis. The store’s music section was very small, and there was only a couple of actual CDs on display, so it wasn’t too hard for the postcard-looking cover of their debut LP, Crazy For You, to catch my eye.

Considering UO has already earned my respect with its musical tastes, I figured this album was probably worth picking up. But I wasn’t going to buy sound unheard, and since there was no listening station to be found, I walked away but kept it in the back of my mind.

A few days later, before leaving my friend’s abode to experience Portland some more, my e-mail lit up with a Best Coast selection on NPR’s Song of the Day. Two points for Best Coast.

So, by the time I got to Jackpot Records later that day and saw the album in the listening station, I made sure to give it a whirl.

It’s very reminiscent of the girl groups of the ’50s and ’60s — except that it’s just one girl singing this time. And there’s hardly any production value whatsoever — rather than lo-fi, think no-fi.

That being said, it’s not too bad.

If Best Coast sounds familiar to groups such as The Vivian Girls or Dum Dum Girls, that’s because the drummer is Ali Koehler, who joined the group in July after leaving the aforementioned Vivian Girls.

The band was formed by songwriter and frontwoman Bethany Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. It went through a couple of drummers before landing on Koehler.

In addition to putting out the album in July, Best Coast has released three EPs and several singles since 2009.

To hear more of their stuff, check out their MySpace page. And keep tabs on their goings-on by following their blog.

September 19, 2010

43 – Zola Jesus

Filed under: Los Angeles, Wisconsin, Z — assman41 @ 12:01 am

As I was driving out of Seattle a few weeks ago, bound for a brewpub in Tacoma, I had the radio in my rental car tuned to KEXP — which, other than “The End”, is really the only station Seattlites should ever listen to.

Anyways, as I was peering at the Space Needle in my rearview mirror, a song came on the radio that was so dark and haunting, I couldn’t help but become transfixed by it.

I had to wait a few more songs before the DJ came on and alerted me that the track was “I Can’t Stand” by Zola Jesus.

Naturally, one of the first things I did when I returned home from my vacation was look up this mysterious artist. Turns out it’s just one woman — Nika Roza Danilova — a Wisconsin-bred lass who relocated to Los Angeles and put her opera training to good use by channeling the darkest of old-school goth music.

She reminded me of a few artists from the ’80s. At first, I thought she sounded like the Cocteau Twins on crack — or, more correctly, depressants — but, perhaps a more apt comparison would be Siouxsie and the Banshees.

A contemporary counterpart would be The XX, but a lot darker and more gothic. Ironically enough, she will be opening for the “female chromosomes” on a tour of the U.S. this fall.

Zola Jesus put out a lot of music the past couple years, including a couple singles, three EPs, a split LP with Burial Hex and a trio of full-length albums. The last of which, Stridulum II, builds on a similarly named EP and includes several strong tracks, including the aforementioned “I Can’t Stand”, the opener, “Night”, and “Sea Talk”.

For more songs and info, check out her MySpace page and official website. There are also a few tracks available for free download at RCRD LBL.

August 29, 2010

40 – Coconut Records

Filed under: C, Los Angeles — assman41 @ 12:01 am

My interest in Jason Schwartzman, the musician, seems to have taken the same circuitous route as my interest in Jason Schwartzman, the actor.

Like everyone else, I first discovered Schwartzman via his debut film, Rushmore. While the movie is top-notch, he was mildly annoying. And the status of my fandom only grew more perilous after watching him in Slackers, another solid film in which he plays a pest.

So, by the time I’d heard he was a drummer in some band and eventually had struck out on his own as an artist, I wrote him off as just another egotistical fame-whore.

But as he gained some indie film cred — and after other actors, such as Zooey Deschanel, Jared Leto and Scarlett Johansson, released some non-shitty albums — I figured I should cut him some slack.

Also, after hearing a couple solid songs he’d put out under the moniker Coconut Records, I decided it might be time to give his music a chance.

And it was something of a revelation, not least because I didn’t realize how many of his songs I’d already heard before and enjoyed.

I recently listened to both of his albums — Nighttiming (2007) and Davy (2009) — four times apiece, and each time they grew on me more and more.

He mostly goes the indie-pop route but gets a little more rocking and dancy on a few tunes, including the title track from his debut album. He even dabbles in alt-country on “Mama”, from the first album.

That first album includes what has to be his best and most popular tune, “West Coast”, which is accompanied by an equally awesome video.

Another good one, “Drummer”, from the latest disc, is autobiographical, and touches on his time as the drummer for Phantom Planet.

Speaking of autobiographical, besides the well-known relations to Francis Ford Coppola, Nicolas Cage, Sofia Coppola and Talia Shire, his brother, Robert, happens to be the lead singer of the band Rooney. Who knew?

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