CAUGHT LIVE: VOICEsVOICEs / SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS

LA’s VOICEsVOICEs album covers may be a bit deceiving. Day-glo easter-egg colored galaxies, morphed-up animals and rainbows adorn the covers of this female duo’s two EP releases. Opening for New York’s School of Seven Bells last week at The Echo, their hypnotic blend of droning, almost tribal atmospheric haze is by no means even the least bit garish, as the aforementioned artwork may suggest. The duo Nico Turner and Jenean Farris, originally both drummers, swirl through post-rock receptivity, dooming drone and a lush old-world rapture that makes me truly feel that they are one of LA’s most promising and enveloping sonic surprises.









New York threesome—in their press photos, quartet live— School of Seven Bells drew a sizable, elbow-rubbing crowd to the small Echo last Wednesday. Their acclaimed debut Aplinisms (Ghostly) from 2008 is still a firm example of the electro-tinged, shoegaze-soaked dreampop that still permeates the blogosphere these days. Led by identical twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza (of On! Air! Library! if you remember), backed by guitarist Benjamin Curtis (formerly of The Secret Machines) and a live drummer, the band’s slow-growing and stirring sound seemed a bit idle once in a live setting. It was at times difficult to pick standouts from fillers as the overall set, still pensive and well-played, appeared to somewhat meld into itself as time elapsed. It very well could’ve just been an off night for the New York act as time has shown their material (Alpinisms is still a great listen) is very much worth your time.






The band’s latest single, “ Windstorm,” the lively opener from LP two, Disconnect From Desire (out July 13th via Vagrant/Ghostly) is available now and features a B-side and remix from A Place to Bury Strangers.

--Matt Draper

CAUGHT LIVE- COLD CAVE, BEST COAST AND SMITH WESTERNS

Future Sounds favorites Best Coast and The Smith Westerns opened last week for darkwavers Cold Cave at LA's Echoplex. Veronica and I were on hand as the 'Love Came Close.' Photos below.

--Posted by Matt Draper

CAUGHT LIVE- THE RUMBLE LA: MARCH

Thanks to everyone who came out to 3 Clubs Thursday night for The Rumble LA. San Diego's BEATERS treated those early-comers to a solid set blending snotty, swirling bedroom punk with tribal-like cacophony and a room-filling wall-of-sound crutch that was almost impossible to ignore. No wonder standouts "Fishage" and "White Hate" have already become FS staples.

TWIN TIGERS showed the packed back room a little something about this whole shoegaze-laced-guitar thing that the the blogosphere seems to be paddling through for air these days. Just expecting great things from this outfit is one thing, but seeing their sound grow to fill venue walls in the future seems like a near certainty for this Athens, GA about-to-break foursome.

Night-closers RUMSPRINGA near-lived up to their tag as "LA's best-kept secret" with a guitar/drum take on blues-soaked, riffed-out rock tunes that oddly-enough got most of the first few rows flailing like a Prince set (no doubt thanks to 808 bleeps from a sometimes third member) while the rest of the room (myself included) wondered just how they haven't ever seen the band before.

-Posted by Matt Draper

CAUGHT LIVE: THE SOFT PACK

LA-by-way-of-San Diego garage-soaked foursome The Soft Pack have made one hell of a debut- (well as their current namesake as The bullet-holed Muslims LP came out in '08). In support of their Kemado Records-released self-titled album, the band played (I'm sure you heard) ten shows in one day (click that link for great video coverage). Starting at 10A.M. and jaunting all across LA; from Highland Park to Long Beach, Downey and Hollywood, the band played house shows ("Kevin from Crystal Antler's Dad's house"), backyards, art galleries, record stores and on the beach. I attempted to make multiple shows, and you'd think that a Saturday morning show is totally doable the night before, but come morning time, 10 A.M. is actually quite early for some rock and roll, so instead I made it to their 8th show at Hollywood's (fantastic) Vacation Vinyl. Pictures below.

--Matt Draper