TONIGHT IN LOS ANGELES: FUTURE SOUNDS PRESENTS NICO STAI @ SPACELAND

FUTURE SOUNDS proudly presents an evening with one of our local favorites - NICO STAI @ Spaceland tonight. Joining Nico will be the indie-folk sounds of CHIEF and Seattle's FENCES as well as opening act, YIKES! A LION!.

Tickets are on sale HERE.

CAUGHT LIVE: GIRLS AND SMITH WESTERNS

Everyone keeps saying it, but it’s official, the 90’s are back in all their lo-fi glory. No band is more of a figurehead for this resurgence, than San Francisco’s GIRLS who took the stage Monday night at Orange County’s Detroit Bar. Christopher Owens and JR White took the packed crowd back about 15 years for an evening of jangly grunge pop; heavy on the melancholy, but beautiful nonetheless.

Children of God (Owen was raised in the cult) references abound, GIRLS have that whole emotional vulnerability thing down to a genuine science and craft universally emotional songs that transition from easy listening to blessed-out garage rock. Playing nearly every song off their 2009 release Album (True Panter/Matador Records), GIRLS played a set befitting of their status as indie darlings.

Owens’s took a page from the Conor Oberst playbook with searing, gravely vocals tempered with vulnerability in accordance with the often sad sentiment of most of the songs. “Hellhole Rat Race” personified just what bloggers and music fans love about this band, a simple tenderness undercut with an epic guitar swoosh that translates well in live setting. This nearly seven-minute ode to loneliness says it best, with “I’ve got a sad song in my sweet heart.”

Crowd favorite, “Lust for Life” was just that; earnest and pleading; begetting the crowd to clap along to this catchy pop gem. “Morning Light” was sonically intense and loud, with the frenzied swirl of sound culminating into a shoegazey crescendo. “Laura” was all jangly guitars with hints of their Buddy Holly infused sound. The sheer size of the crowd packed in the confines of Detroit Bar’s small performance area reinforced the notion that having your album rank a 9.1 on Pitchfork is clearly a good thing for ticket sales.

Much buzzed about openers, The Smith Westerns showcased just why hype-makers (Gorilla vs. Bear) and super producers (Mark Ronson) alike are fawning all over them. Despite some technical difficulties, this group of 18 and 19-year-old Chicago natives relied on the haze of a makeshift fog machine to lure the crowd into their teen angst grasps and, let me tell you- it works. Their perfectly crafted grunge pop jams like “Girl in Love” with its thumping bass and the hard to ignore melody. “Be My Girl” is a seemingly perfect morsel of garage pop, with a washed-out pop hook begging for a crowd sing-a-long. Playing one of their very first west coast shows, this barely legal gang of four are most definitely on the precipice of something huge.

From the Jordan Catalano haircuts, the sea of plaid, combat boots and grunge tinges, the night felt like a scene out of 1995’s My So-Called Life; sweetly melancholic and sincere and oh so worth the travel back in time.

The boys of The Smith Westerns over coffee and donuts after their Detroit Bar set.

Words by Veronica Pulcini, photos by Matt Draper

FUTURE SOUNDS COLUMN IN RECORD OF THE DAY

Read the article by clicking the image above

Just published today in the UK, here's the latest FUTURE SOUNDS column for RECORD OF THE DAY highlighting bands that should be on your radar.

YOURS TRULY - LISSIE

Our friends at YOURS TRULY just posted a take away show video with the Rock Island lady we love, LISSIE that's worth sharing....

Lissie "In Sleep" [Part 1 of 2] from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

INTERVIEW: MAUS HAUS

San Francisco sextet Maus Haus play an frantic, yet refreshing sound that oozes the nostalgic innovation of acts like The Silver Apples tinkering with a psych-jazz flow and wobble bass runs played alongside a hairy Krautrockers's synth collection inside their collective bedrooms. Yes, the guitarless music is sort of in league of it's own one could say. Though, at it's very basic, it's dream-pop music played by six vintage-obsessed guys, who all joined up, forming a band named as merely a "placeholder," after day jobs of working at circuses and recording studios.

I caught up with the entire group on a rain-soaked-night in the parking lot of Los Angeles club, The Silverlake Lounge, before their first-ever LA show, to talk about the music on their (pretty much) self-released debut Lark Marvels, to talk about their hometown, far-too expensive instruments, Huey Lewis and the News, Christian Bale and what would happen if they got picked to curate an ATP festival.

-FUTURE SOUNDS: Matt Draper (FS)

-MAUS HAUS:

Aaron Weiss: bass, synths, trumpet, drums (AW)

Sean Mabry: vocals, drums, synths, trombone (SM)

Tom Hurlbut: sax, flute, clarinet, drums (TH)

Joe Genden: synths, drums (JG)

Josh Rampage: vocals, synths, bass, rhodes piano (JR)

Jason Kick: vocals, synths, bass (JK)

(FS) So this is day one of tour?

(JK) “It’s a pretty short stint. We basically hit some of the worst weather you could have on the I-5. We barely got through, but it worked.”

(FS) How’s the scene up there? I know some of you guys were in some previous bands?

(JR) “Yeah some of us were. San Francisco is great, there are some really great bands.

(JK) “There’s a lot of good places to play I think and that’s always nice (also) a lot of good intensions. As far as the scene goes, there is a big garage-rock scene and somewhat of a psychedelic scene, but we are kind of in this weird spot between a lot of different scenes, where we could blend with some of those bands and play shows with them, but we don’t have a ‘scene of our own,’ except for just a few friends that we like.”

(TH) (Mentions his band) “Battlehooch... There’s a few bands that we really enjoy that we play a lot of shows with because they sort of fit in the non-classifiable realm that we do. Which is interesting, because one of these bands happens to be the band that I’m in.

(AW) “Whoa plug, easy now. Hey cross promotion.”

(JK) “Yeah, but I think San Francisco is a good place to hone your craft, it’s a pretty open-minded place in a sense; I think a lot of the bands are tightly knit and I think work well together, it seems there is a lot of support there, where other places might (have) not quite so much.”

(JG) “I feel it’s smaller than LA or New York, well it is, literally smaller, (but it actually does) feel a lot smaller. I feel it’s easier to get known in that area than it would be.”

(JR) “It’s condensed.”

(SM) “What I find (is that) people and bands we like, that have been around for a long time, (and) kind of admire—everybody I know—has been really nice and kind. Bands like Deerhoof or The Oh Sees or something. They are very approachable, nice people.”

(FS) San Francisco is just so different from most other places. It seems the scene up there definitely fosters itself and supports itself well. Are you familiar with this part of LA (East Side- Silverlake, Echo Park)

(JK) “We kind of have that idea, the Silverlake idea.”

(SM) “Tombo’s been here his other band, a few times. Never played the Silverlake.”

(JK) “This is the first time Maus Haus has played in LA.”

(SM) “Which is amazing.”

(JK) “We are a pretty young band really, we’ve only been playing for a year and a half. 2008. The record came out Oct 28^th.”

(FS) Self-released?

(JK) “Some people put it out, sort of, a really small micro-label in Oakland. We basically had to do that ourselves, I mean we kind of pushed everything ourselves. We went to SXSW shortly after that and did a bunch of shows there, that was fun, a really good thing, and right now we’ve been really working hard to finish a bunch of new songs—putting out a 7” next month. Two songs on the vinyl and it comes with a bonus E.P. with six.”

(FS) SXSW again this year?

(JK) “Actually I think we are just going to save our time and focus on actual touring in the country. We’re doing a Noise Pop show with !!! at the Mezzanine and were playing with a band called High Places (NY) in March in San Francisco. Were shooting for April to do some stuff on the other side of the country.”

(FS) !!! is great, it’s been years since I’ve seen them, and the whole thing with Jerry (Fuchs- drummer, who died last year) now, I wonder how that’s going?

(AW) “He was the touring drummer, or the original drummer?”

(SM) “He wasn’t the original.”

(JK) “It’s weird that he passed away so recently and then all of sudden they are on tour again. I wonder if they are raising money for the family?”

(FS) I think this is their first big jaunt back.

(JK) “You know what is interesting? Aaron went to high school with (!!! member) Tyler Pope?"

(AW) “No we went to different high schools.”

(JG) “Rival high schools”

(AW) “We had bass-offs”

(FS) You were talking about San Francisco and I feel like your sound couldn’t have come out a place like, well, anywhere else. How does the city interact with the Maus Haus sound?

(JR) “I feel like it kind of perpetuates that. We had a similar question asked not too long ago, of what it is about the city that we actually like (and how it) brings about (the music). I don’t know, it’s kind of a melting pot of so many different things, inevitably, art and music- it’s all going to come together. So many people from different backgrounds, like we all are (four of us are from the Midwest, two of us from CA.) and you wouldn’t find people meeting in the same book otherwise, in any other place. San Francisco’s history is so rich in that. It’s a relocation process.”

(TH) “Gold rush”

(JR) “Right, it’s a gold rush.”

(AW) “It sounds like all out rooms, because most of the parts end up getting recorded in our rooms, so it sounds like a San Francisco apartment.”

(FS) So San Francisco is a member of the band?

(JK) “Yeah San Francisco’s totally a member of the band.”

(AW) “A lot of our recordings for the first album ended up just coming from messing around in our rooms, and practice space and putting things together, layering things and editing them later. It’s very kind of haphazard.”

(FS) How did the formation into a band start then?

(TH) “Jason and I met, then we met Joe and Aaron, and then when ideas got bigger, Sean moved here from the Midwest (Indiana).”

(JK) “I had met Sean briefly before that”

(SM) “Four of us are from the Midwest, three of us are from Indiana. I had been back in Indiana for a year after being in San Francisco and Portland. I was in circuses and kind of all over the place.”

(FS) Circuses? That isn’t a far cry when you listen to the record?

(SM) “Well, a different kind of circus.”

(AW) “We draw most of our members from circuses, that’s where we interview, so..

(JK) We cut his hair and stole his juggle balls.”

(SM) I was actually a musician in a circus. I was a sound effects artist. Live sound effects; I was using actual objects to make sound for people doing acrobatics, things like that. I had one little act where I busted a flaming cinderblock over someone’s head. It didn’t really have a name. I think people called it crazy.”

(FS) So I understand you get quite the comical questions asked about your name and if its this whole greater meaning thing? I was curious to see what sort of funny things you’ve given or gotten.

(SM) “Incidentally we are fans of Krautrock, but also fans of Tropicalia (and other) weird stuff, Raymond Scott…etc…”

(JK) “It sounded right when it came up, actually a friend mentioned it as kind of a joke and then we thought of the German spelling and it just felt right. It’s kind of a placeholder. It is what it is-- it’s just a name.

(SM) “I think that was part of the idea right, kind of a meaningless name? And it’s very hard to find that.”

(TH) “I like the symmetry and memor-ability of it too.”

(FS) Day Jobs?

(SM) “Jason and I are both sound guys.”

(JK) “Venues and studios. I record bands too. I work in Studio Paradiso.”

(FS) So with the absence of guitars, do you guys have any favorite synths?

(SM) “I would take a Moog, those old modular synths, we got to record with one of those at Mills College last year.”

(JK) “How about a Ondes Martenot. That’s the thing that the guy (Johnny Greenwood) from Radiohead plays sometimes. It’s kind of a weird Theremin type thing.”

(SM) “It’s a string with a magnet you can play notes, but you also slide between notes like a Theremin.”

(JR) “They used one in the Beach Boys too, for that sound on “Good Vibrations” you know?

(JK) “Anything old and really expensive”

(JG) “Like that studio…(pauses to think) oh man… they have the new album 4?”

(TH) “Portishead?”

(SM) “3?”

(JG) “Oh, it’s 3? I was thinking Huey Lewis and The News I think.”

(JK) “We would want Portishead’s gear inside Huey Lewis and the News’ studio. That would be our ideal situation.”

(SM) “We don’t want the band”

(JK) “We just want their stuff. If we were going to have a guest guitarist-- cause we don’t have an actual guitarist-- we would probably have…”

(AW) “Dave Navarro hands down.”

(JK) “No I was going to say Christian Bale or Steve Guttenberg or something like that. We would go with some C-list, ex-Hollywood superstar.”

(FS) So we’ve got your perfect album with Christian Bale and Huey Lewis and the News, what’s your perfect festival line-up then? If Muas Haus could curate an ATP, who would play?

(AW) “You always have to have a reunion for an ATP, so my vote would be for Can. A Can reunion would be good.”

(SM) “Outkast reunion”

(AW) “New Order”

(TH) “Actually if Don Van Vleet headed some kind of superband…”

(SM) “No, Don Van Vleet painting for an hour on stage”

(JK) “How about any of the surviving members that are still quite cohesive of Capitan Beefheart’s Magic Band doing a tribute to Capitan Beefheart? That sounds good”

(SM) “Maybe we could get that band Shocking Blue to play?”

(JK) “What would be a new band we would have on an ATP?”

(AW) “Dirty Projectors?”

(JK) “I would actually have Deerhoof”

(AW) “We listened to two Deerhoof albums on the way here to get energized.”

(JK) “That’s probably my actual favorite, current band. I like the Oh Sees right now, they are a San Francisco group.”

(AW) “The TuNeYaRds?”

(TH) “I actually really like the Girls album”

(JK) “I do like High Places”

(SM) (Black Moth Super Rainbow / Tabacco) “I really like their whole, kind of weird like fuzzy, 70’s psychedelic kids show stuff.”

(AW) “That was actually our second show (playing with BMSR)”

(JG) “We got it before we had ever played a show too”

(JK) “What was our fifth show?” (Looks to band)

(AW) “The Four Tet show?”

(JK) “The Mezzanine yeah?”

(FS) But he didn’t show up I heard?

(JK) “He cancelled the day of”

(AW) “We ended up having to headline this show. It was huge. It still went pretty well.”

(SM) “We got his green room”

Posted and photographed by Matt Draper

FUTURE SOUNDS RADIO DEBUTS 1.25.10

More information on bands that debuted this week on the FUTURE SOUNDS radio show on WOXY....

WORLD'S GREATEST GHOSTS
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Portland, OR
TRACK: Phantastes

Thanks to the 3 Imaginary Girls folks for tipping us off on this band, someone doing well in the Pacific NW, but should in 2010 spook everyone with perfect indie rock. (Lucky Madison Records)

TV TORSO

WEB SITE
HOMETOWN: Austin
TRACK: The Days Of Being Wild

No stranger to WOXY, but new to FS, the band has already teamed up with our WOXY family for a show together and they'll be headlining the inaugural RUMBLE: AUSTIN party on February 11th at Beerland. Unsigned

VANAPRASTA
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles
TRACK: Color Of Sin

Silverlake's VANAPRASTA sent us over the short-but-sweet EP called 'Forming The Shapes' and we were hooked. Big harmonies, finger snaps, music ready for some great film and TV placements We need to see this one live, soon. Unsigned

GOLDHAWKS
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: London
TRACK: 1996

Another act that is appearing on a lot of 'Ones to Watch in 2010' lists, London's GOLDHAWKS have that Brit sound that is oh-so English, but will it translate stateside? I hope so, I want to see these kids live. Unsigned

CLOUD CONTROL
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Sydney, Australia
TRACK: Gold Canary

Indie folk is everywhere and here's Sydney's answer to Fleet Foxes with CLOUD CONTROL, although these kids are strumming to their own folkie-roots. Many are watching this band for a 2010 run at the hype machine. (Ivy League Records)

SUPER EXTRA BONUS PARTY
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Kildare, Ireland
TRACK: Comets (Ft. Heathers)

I just missed this indie-electro act when I was in Dublin for the Hard Working Class Heroes Festival and now I'm regretting it, this has something super extra to it. This particular track features the ladies of HEATHERS, a FS favorite as well. Unsigned

DIRTY DANCING
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Austin, TX
TRACK: Black Blood

This is some dark music, think Tom Waits meets The Bad Seeds. Austin's DIRTY DANCING will be playing our first ever RUMBLE: AUSTIN party @ Beerland in February. Blood is the new black....Unsigned

REGRETS & BRUNETTES
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Fullerton, CA
TRACK: Uh-Oh

We don't only love this band because they hail from the same fine city as our FS family members Brock and Veronica (Fullerton), but because this track, "Uh-Oh" made an instant impact. Not sure how it didn't make it in THE HOT 5, probably because it just arrived. Unsigned

EBONY BONES
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: London, Outer Space
TRACK: We Know All About You

If Parliament's George Clinton had a baby girl and Grace Jones was the mother, EBONY BONES would that love child. It's a debut for FS radio, but we've been playing her since April 2008 on our Little Radio show and are thrilled that she'll be headlining February's THE RUMBLE: BROOKLYN @ Southpaw with MNDR. This one is wild, wild, wild!

SAVOIR ADORE
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Brooklyn
TRACK: We Talk Like Machines

Sometimes the demos and promo disc pile on the desk can be intimidating, and this band was on my 'must listen to' stack a few times and somehow never registered, so we're late on this Brooklyn four-piece, but right on time in my book. Their full-length, 'In The Wooded Forest' is superb. (Cantora Records)

WHAT LAURA SAYS
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Tempe, Arizona
TRACK: Training

Tempe, Arizona? Isn't that Gin Blossoms territory? I thought the Long Wong's was closed?? This former duo has grown into a five-piece and has grown into a lush sound that is far from ordinary or even what everyone else is doing. (Terpsikhore Records)

GAVIN GUSS
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Seattle
TRACK: Lifeboat

Seattle's GAVIN GUSS is no rookie, he's been kicking around a bit, playing with the likes of Nada Surf, Jon Auer, Harvey Danger, Fountains of Wayne and fronting his own bands, but now drops his first solo record ~ 'Mercury Mine' (Obsolete Media)

LISTEN TO FUTURE SOUNDS ON WOXY 1.25.10

FUTURE SOUNDS #52 - 1/25/10

Bear Hands – What A Drag – What A Drag Single – Cantora Records
Man/Miracle – Back Of The Card – The Shape Of Things – Big Hand Recordings
World’s Greatest Ghosts – Phantastes – No Magic – Lucky Madison Records
TV Torso – The Days Of Being Wild – Days Of Being Wild 7” – Unsigned
Vanaprasta – Color Of Sin – Forming The Shapes EP – Unsigned

Cherry Chapstick – The Drop – Silencer EP – Unsigned
Lilofee – Destroy Me – The Only Years – Unsigned
Jump Clubb – Let’s Crash This Party – The Love Of No Dance – Unsigned
Twin Shadow – Castles In The Snow – Demos – Unsigned
Asa Ransom – Red – The Gold EP – Unsigned

Stornoway – Zorbing – Zorbing Single – Unsigned
Goldhawks – 1996 – 1996 – Unsigned
Cloud Control – Gold Canary – Gold Canary – Ivy League Records (AUS)
Super Extra Bonus Party – Comets (ft Heathers) – Night Horses – Unsigned
Black Camaro – Calypso – Pistachio Moustachio – Unsigned

Jaguar Love – Polaroids & Red Wine – Hologram Jams – Fat Possum
Dirty Dancing – Black Blood – Mediocrity Is The Strongest Inevitability – Unsigned
French Miami – Motor Skills – Motor Skills – Unsigned
Apes Of Wrath – Fireproof – Apes Of Wrath – Unsigned
Regrets & Brunettes – Uh-Oh - At Night You Love Me – Unsigned

Ebony Bones – We Know All About You – We Know All About You – PIAS
Savoir Adore – We Talk Like Machines – In The Wooded Forest – Cantora Records
Spirits – Open The Door – Spirits – Sonic Unyon Records
What Laura Says – Training – Bloom Creek – Unsigned
Gavin Guss – Lifeboat – Mercury Mine – Obsolete Media

THE HOT 5
Hair Envelope – Largo Lagos – Demos – Unsigned
Nottee – Control – Kistune Maison Compilation 8 – Kitsune
Chasing Kings – The Current State Of Our Future – The Current State Of Our Future – Unsigned
The Vision Of A Dying World – Mantra/What Is And What Is Not – I Will Not Fear What I Don't Understand EP - Single Screen Records
Monogold – Dead Sea Minerals – We Animals – Unsigned

END OF PROGRAM

*Bold denotes FS radio debut

FUTURE SOUNDS PRESENTS NICO STAI @ SPACELAND SATURDAY NIGHT

This Saturday night, Future Sounds is proud to present a night of music with some of our favorites @ Spaceland. NICO STAI, the artist that just continues to blossom in front of our very eyes, will be headlining and bringing his Joe Strummer-meets-Springsteen sound to what should be a loaded house. The heavenly voices of CHIEF, another Rumble LA veteran, will show you why their new record is going to be placed high in your iPod next to your Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons. Coming in from Seattle, it's FENCES, no stranger to the FS radio show on WOXY, so we're excited to see what the live show is like. New to us, but maybe not to you, it's YIKES! A LION!. Tickets are on sale HERE.

CAUGHT LIVE: APOLLO RUN

CAUGHT LIVE: APOLLO RUN IN LOS ANGELES

New York trio Apollo Run played a muggy night’s set at The Mint Room in Los Angeles last night with support from Wintergreen and Big Rock Candy Mountain. Led by the genre-hopping intensity of multi-instrumentalist (guitar, piano and trumpet) John McGrew, the band’s sound falls somewhere between a stripped down, recession-era form of Queen or Muse, (sans all the cosmic (and keyboard-y) spiritual references) or even Beirut, with McGrew and (professionally-trained) bassist Jeff Kerestes at the helm dripping with the swagger of stars from the arena rock days, as drummer Graham Fisk rolled right along as every song proved an encore-worthy thrill with jumping, screaming, swaying, instrument hugging, table-dancing and a set-closing a cappella stomp-along.

A sweaty, saloon-rocking gospel jam along if I’ve ever seen it.

Posted by Matt Draper

JAGUAR LOVE PLAYING ALL WEST COAST RUMBLES IN FEBRUARY

The perfect set up for Valentine's Day, we're thrilled to announce that JAGUAR LOVE will be playing ALL of the west coast RUMBLE dates in February. We've been clocking them for some time, but this new album, 'Hologram Jams' is filled with just that, JAMS! The record drops in March on Fat Possum and we've already been banging 'Started A Fire' and 'Polaroids & Red Wine" on the FS show on WOXY, but this disc runs deep.

The Rumbles have some new twists and turns starting in February that add spice along the way. We've moved the Rumble Seattle to the HAVANA SOCIAL CLUB in Capitol Hill.

In San Francisco, we say goodbye to our friends at Harlot after 2 years, and move over to Market to CAFE DUNORD to accommodate the growing list of SF partners, as we've added THE BAY BRIDGED, MR ROBOTO PRESENTS, the SF BAY GUARDIAN and even NOISE POP MUSIC FEST to the family. The Rumble: San Francisco will be the Warm Up Party for Noise Pop 2010, as well as the 5 year anniversary of THE OWL MAG and the 7 year anniversary of BAGEL RADIO!

The Rumble: San Diego will now find a home at BAR PINK in North Park, the coolest neighborhood in SD.

We're also thrilled to announce a new Rumble city - AUSTIN, TEXAS in February. More on this announcement but we've moved on to join our WOXY brothers and sisters at BEERLAND on Feb 11 and we have some amazing partners jumping on in the indie rock capitol.

JAGUAR LOVE - THE RUMBLE TOUR

Feb 1 - Seattle @ Havana Social Club
Feb 2 - Portland @ Holocene
Feb 3 - San Francisco @ Cafe DuNord
Feb 4 - Los Angeles @ 3 Clubs
Feb 6 - San Diego @ Bar Pink
Feb 7 - Las Vegas @ The Aruba

MORE ABOUT JAGUAR LOVE:
Jaguar Love is one of two bands that have sprung out of the 2007 break-up of experimental hardcore band The Blood Brothers (the other being Past Lives, comprising ex-singer Jordan Blilie, ex-drummer Mark Gajadhar, ex-bassist Morgan Henderson, and original Blood Brothers guitarist Devin Welch). In Jaguar Love, singer/pianist Johnny Whitney and guitarist Cody Votolato are ex-members of that band, and Pretty Girls Make Graves member Jay Clark was the drummer: Due to unforeseen differences, Jay Clark has left the band. As of Januay 21, 2008 the band has signed to the independent label Matador. The Blood Brothers’ music could be described as a schizophrenic split between raging hardcore punk and jagged art-punk with Surrealistic lyrics.

The three bands that developed as side-projects during The Blood Brothers’ existence—Whitney’s experimental post-hardcore bands Soiled Doves & Neon Blonde and the band’s other lead vocalist Jordan Billie & Votolato’s hardcore/thrash band Head Wound City—illustrated this. Jaguar Love has so far shown many characteristics found in Whitney’s past side-projects, albeit there is no electronica influence as heard in Neon Blonde and the “spazzcore” elements of Soiled Doves have been relatively toned down. In favor of the chaotic sound for those bands is the feeling of a more fully-fleshed out band with more concentration on melody, a lyrical maturation, and traditional songwriting that stylishly culls influence from indie rock, art-punk, soul, post-hardcore, jazz-rock, and glam metal. They are currently touring after finishing writing and recording the album [album]take me to the sea[/album] which is due out in august with production and recording duties being handled primarily by Clarke. Whitney’s clothing company Crystal City, which he co-owns with his wife Amy, has already designed and produced a handful of t-shirts for Jaguar Love.

CAUGHT LIVE: ASA RANSOM

CAUGHT LIVE: ASA RANSOM IN LOS ANGELES

It seems that almost every week a new blog-praise, wave-riding band from New York City is mentioned as ‘One To Watch.’ It’s true that the city does foster a scene better than most, but it is, at times, a near-exhausting conversation between critics and fans regarding the hype. To credit the ‘new band’ accolade, I present New York five-some ASA RANSOM as one that you can take my word for in place of the next five ‘it band’ mentions you hear, because, truth is, I think they are just that good.

The group, which consist of Jacob Bills (vocal/guitar), Daniel Boivin (drums), Darryl Specht (bass/vocal) and long-time friends Bobby Gray (piano/vocal) and Ryan Sartin (percussion) had roots in their college town of Marion, Indiana, but after their “school banned the playing of their dangerous music, the three moved to New York,” and started Asa Ransom in 2008. Having since recorded two EP’s (2009's The Gold EP is available for free on their website) and amassed quite the tour schedule under their collective belts, the band have managed to create an unsigned buzz that's totally worth the hype.

Their dreamy melodies that fall over you like some bedroom-pop version of Arcade Fire under cabaret lights. Oozing with a sort of sophistication, the tunes drift through the snake-charmer guitar jangles ("Two Invitations") and the come-hither lyrics that seem to emulate deep in the back of some Middle Eastern bar where everyone wears pinstripes, fedoras and bow ties, but in a cool, "we are from New York" sort of way.

The "The Gold EP" is available for free on their website - HERE

The below pics are from their recent Spaceland set in Los Angeles, supporting Hockey. My thought's on the show? Here's a tweet from that night.

Posted by Matt Draper

WHAT ABOUT: JUMP CLUBB

WHAT ABOUT: Jump Clubb

In 1977 Richard Hell released “Blank Generation,” a call-to-arms that clocked in just shy of three minutes. The song easily summed up the drop-in-a-bucket feeling of that day’s youth, thinking no doubt that they were simply void of any larger group. “I was saying get me out of this place,” Hell begged. After him and his Voidoids’ helped build the base for punk, the legendary No Wave scene was born and legions of innovative, refreshing and nihilistic bands were formed under the growing blanket genre.

Add thirty years and a jaunt across the county from New York to Beverly Hills, CA and you’ll land at the doorstep of another “No___” purveyor. Their called Jump Clubb and they claim their sound as “No Dance,” one they consider a “statement that questions the current state of the music listener- from LA celebrity to Brooklyn hipster.” Awe sarcasm. The self-produced and recorded band—in late ‘09— released a mixtape, a 7-song album and an iPhone app and still “want nothing to do with the fame that surrounds them on a daily basis” (reading their press release is just plain fun). Having set the indie A&R world into a who-are-they hubbub, Jump Clubb have managed to garner quite the buzz as, well denying response to any of it.

You’d never guess this snubbing while listening to their bouncy, sun-soaked lazy take on funky disco pop (a la Beat Happening or Hot Chip), or even their delicate, pulsing blogosphere-buzzing cover of Elliott Smith’s “Angeles,” but truth is, they have managed to pretty much remain mostly anonymous and it’s working for them. A rumor of a relationship to NYC/LA artist Cassettes Won’t Listen exists, but hasn’t been followed up on. There’s a total absence of band members, photos or even the possibility of playing live. Oh, and one of my favorite things- their provided management email address is fuckerr@jumpclubb.com. They might be “making music- by themselves, without worry of judgment of who they are as people,” but hints of boastfulness seep through some of their debut LP’s tracks. On “Spraypaint” a male voice, sings “I was the first one in Brooklyn, so don’t even try, I painted my name on the wall” as if it were his take on James Murphy’s “Losing My Edge,” rant. Maybe not fully in the “blank generation” category if you were the first huh Mr. Singer?

All the above aside, truth is that Jump Clubb are good. Really good. The tracks are infectious, exuberant and blissful. Try standouts “Let’s Crash This Party,” “A Frozen Hug” and “Rather Be Played” and you’ll find yourself no-dancing somewhere between the best of Balearic Swede electro-pop and sleazy, growing disco while simultaneously imagining what they/he/she creating this gem really does look like.

--Matt Draper

TONIGHT IN LOS ANGELES: WHITE DENIM @ THE TROUBADOUR

TURBO! TURBO! TURBO!

Tonight at The Troubadour it's the return of the legend - TURBO!

WHITE DENIM gallops back into town with our good friends, BRAZOS, bringing a taste of Austin to West Hollywood and showing off the jams that comprise the incredible "Fits" album. Brazos will be sporting a full band, and he/them are not to be missed.

FUTURE SOUNDS RADIO DEBUTS 1.18.10

More information on bands that debuted this week on the FUTURE SOUNDS radio show on WOXY....

NOTTEE
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Somewhere in Sweden
TRACK: Control

Sweden's NOTTEE has a way about her that leaves me feeling naughty indeed. Her name is Nova Drougge and she's making a run at LYKKE LI for foxy Swede. Kitsune is already onto it.

MONOGOLD
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Brooklyn
TRACK: Dead Sea Minerals

Yet another Brooklyn act with electro-indie vibes, MONOGOLD has already grabbed press quotes from Spin and Deli Magazine NY, and now the Johnny-come-lately Future Sounds team spilled into the party. Unsigned

NEON TREES
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Provo, UT
TRACK: Animal

A major label band that wasn't from the UK slipped into our show, how did it happen? Well, we liked the music, and Mercury US operates like an indie at times anyway. In town playing Spaceland for the Club NME night this Wednesday.

THE STATIC JACKS
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Westfield, New Jersey
TRACK: My Parent's Lied

New Jersey's THE STATIC JACKS are working hard to right the possibly insurmountable wrong that MTV's 'Jersey Shore' has done the Garden State. Playing the Mercury Lounge in NY on the 23rd and then to SXSW. Unsigned

THE PADDLE BOAT
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: San Diego
TRACK: Air Conditioned Nightmare

Part of a San Diego triple-threat that came courtesy of our buds at Sezio, THE PADDLE BOAT has been making wavves (I couldn't resist) loud enough that we've been hearing the name splashed around before finally hearing the sound. Single Screen Records

THE VISION OF A DYING WORLD
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: San Diego
TRACK: Mantra/What Is And What Is Not

I need more music from this band, as this song, "Mantra/What Is And What Is Not" opens up into an amazing creation, and there must be more behind this curtain. Single Screen Records

BLACK MAMBA
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: San Diego
TRACK: Lacewings

Finishing out the SD trifecta it's BLACK MAMBA, a band with a striking sound that is also on Single Screen Records. There is something in the water down in San Diego and it ain't Montezuma's Revenge.

TWIN SHADOW
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN:
TRACK: Castles In The Snow

I can tell I'm going to like this TWIN SHADOW character, just look at the man with the yellow balloon. This song, "Castles In The Snow" is fantastic. Unsigned

BAD SPORTS
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Denton, Texas
TRACK: Face Like That

BAD SPORTS, another brilliant band name! The garage rock sound is as dirty and nasty as the floor in a Napa Auto Parts. Dig it! Unsigned

JACK LADDER
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Sydney, Australia
TRACK: Forgotten

He's 6'5" and has been described as sounding like NICK CAVE fronting SUICIDE. Thought that would grab your attention. We haven't heard anything this Cave-like since O. CHILDREN. Look for Jack at SXSW this March. Spunk Records (AU)

THE SATIN PEACHES
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Detroit
TRACK: Well Well Well Well

I've been hearing about these Peaches for some time, wild rumors about a band that was going to swallow us up, and finally the Golden Sugar Bear sent us some music. Unsigned

HAIR ENVELOPE

MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Seattle
TRACK: Largo Lagos

You have to be intrigued at the very least when you run across a band named HAIR ENVELOPE, and this led to quite a discovery from Seattle. This photo only makes the curiosity boil over that much more. Unsigned

THE RHONE OCCUPATION
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles
TRACK: I Know I Did You Wrong

Kevin @ Buzzbands.LA tipped us on THE RHONE OCCUPATION and we liked what we heard so they are now playing with JAGUAR LOVE at February's RUMBLE: LA party @ 3 Clubs. Unsigned and they are giving their EP away for free on their Myspace page.

CHERRY CHAPSTICK
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Boston/Montreal
TRACK: The Drop

We were tipped off on this electro-indie outfit that shares time in Boston and Montreal by CHASING KINGS, and so we investigated and fell into a sticky mess of tracks that will all get FS radio play. Unsigned.

SPIRITS
MYSPACE
HOMETOWN: Hamilton, Ontario (Canada)
TRACK: Open The Door

The Pittsburgh of Canada (Hamilton) brings us this band that isn't afraid of '80's influences that also mixes contemporary sounds, a la fellow Northerners, THE DELAYS. I need more music from this act, because everything I've heard thus far is of high caliber. Sonic Unyon Records