So if you’ve been frequenting JOVM over the past couple of months, you may recall a post on the Los Angeles-based indie pop duo Papa. Comprised of of Darren Weiss (vocals and drums) and Danny Present (bass), […]
Tag: Los Angeles CA
So if you’ve been frequenting the site over the last few months, you’d likely be familiar with the Los Angeles-based quintet Lady Low have become something of a mainstay, as I’ve written about the band a handful of times over the past few months. Of course, because there are almost always new folks to the site — or some folks who need their memories refreshed, let’s discuss some backstory: Comprised of founding member Jimmy Sweet (guitar, vocals), who as once a member of the San Francisco, CA-based punk band Richmond Sluts and a touring member of Hot Hot Heat, Rachel Maxann (vocals, synth and bass), Eden Lee (vocals, drums), Kaitlin Wolfberg (violin) and Hannah Blumenfeld (violin), the quintet have received quite a bit of attention from this site and across the blogosphere for a sound that the members of the band has dubbed “Romance rock.” Sonically, they combines s straightforward, old-school, rock ‘n’ roll three chord, 12-bar blues approach with gorgeously lush string arrangements which gives their material a gritty yet swooning (and of course, dramatic) feel that also manages to indirectly channel Phil Spector’s classic “Wall of Sound.”
They’ve recently released a moody and swooning Christmas-inspired song that sounds as though it could have been released in 1962 as soaring strings are paired with layers of plaintive harmonies. Lyrically, the song concerns itself with a relationship ending right around the holiday and how miserable the holiday season can be when you’re single and heartbroken. Although kitschy as most Christmas-inspired pop songs are, it possesses a heartfelt sentiment that should be familiar to anyone who actually has been heartbroken during the holidays when everyone else seems to be happy.
New Video: The Psychedelic New Video for Dumbo Gets Mad’s Trippy New Single “Andromedian Girl”
Dumbo Gets Mad is an Italian-born, Los Angeles-based psych pop duo that formed during the summer of 2010. They wrote the material that would eventually comprise their full-length, 2011 debut Elephants At The Door in […]
New Video: The Hauntingly Gorgeous and Nostalgic Video for Line and Circle’s “Like A Statue”
If you’ve been frequenting JOVM over the past three or four months you may recall that I’ve written about the Los Angeles-based quintet Line and Circle. Comprised of Brian J. Cohen (vocals, rhythm guitar), Eric Neujahr (guitar), Jon Engelhard (bass […]
New Video: Dorothy’s Ass-Kicking, Thanksgiving-Themed, New Video
Over the past 18 months or so, the Los Angeles-based quartet of Dorothy, named after their founding member and vocalist have become JOVM mainstays and have won national attention for a sound that possesses elements of riff-heavy […]
Comprised of Michael Lemmo (guitar and vocals), Benjamin Borland (bass) and Kenny Cash (drums), the Los Angeles, CA-based alternative rock/indie rock trio LEMMO specialize in radio-friendly and anthemic power chord rock as you’ll hear on their latests single “Alright,” which interestingly enough bears an uncanny resemblance to Lifehouse‘s “Hanging By A Moment” — but with a shimmering bridge that sounds indebted to The Smiths, giving the song enough of an indie rock edge to have been played on 120 Minutes.
Live Footage: Deap Vally Performs “Royal Jelly” at Blind Blind Tiger Speakeasy
Comprised of Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards, the Los Angeles-based grunge-rock duo Deap Vally can trace their origins to when Troy and Edwards met in 2011 at a crochet class. The duo’s debut effort Sistrionix was […]
New Video: Pom Poms’ Super 8 Film Channeling Video for “Betty (Alternate Version)”
If you’ve been following JOVM over the past two weeks or so, you may recall that I’ve written about Los Angeles-based duo Pom Poms. Comprised of singer/songwriter Marlene and Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Billy Mohler, who is probably […]
New Video: Lady Low’s Stunning and Passionate, New Love Ballad “Burning Like A Fever”
Over the past few months, the Los Angeles-based quintet Lady Low have become something of a JOVM mainstay, as I’ve written about the band a handful of times over the past few months. Of course, […]
Comprised of long-time friends and collaborators, the Sydney, Australia-born, Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist production duo Intergalactix have a long-held reputation behind the scenes producing material for a number of renowned artists including Jason Mraz, Heart, Earth, Wind, and Fire, Kelis, Allen Stone, Ariana Grande, The Fugees‘ Pras Michel, Cool & Dre, fellow countrymen Jimmy Barnes and PNAU, as well as Cash Money Records.
Last year, the production duo began to establish themselves as artists with the release of their debut EP I.W.S.O.M, which featured the single “Tuesday.” Building upon an already growing national profile, the duo toured extensively to support the EP — and it included a set at Firefly Music Festival. (Interestingly, the festival may have had one of the biggest and most star-studded lineups of this past year’s festival season as Intergalactix played a bill that included Paul McCartney, Kings of Leon, Snoop Dogg, The Killers, Morrissey, and several others.)
Thursday marks the release of the Australian-born, Los Angeles-based duo’s sophomore EP S.T.S. – R.N.D. and the EP’s latest single “Right Next Door” featuring Capital Cities‘ Spencer Ludwig will further cement Intergalactix’s reputation for sleek, retro-futuristic synth pop that channels The Gap Band‘s “You Dropped A Bomb On Me” and “Outstanding,” Rick James and The Temptations “Standing On The Top” The Whispers “And The Beat Goes On” and “Rock Steady,” and Cameo‘s “Word Up,”as well as more contemporary fare including Dam-Funk, Rene Lopez‘s most recent return to all things funk, Boulevards, ISHI, and a growing list of others.
Growing up listening to a ton of synth funk back in the 80s, it isn’t surprising that a number of contemporary artists have revived that sound — both eras specialize in slick production based around sinuous bass lines, shimmering arpeggio synths, four-on-the-floor drumming (or drum programming), anthemic hooks paired with an incredible sense of memorable melody and sensual vocals. You can’t help but recognize how sexy the song is — but it’s also a certified club banger, that should make you get up out of your seat and to the dance floor.
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New Audio: The Spectral and Aching, Alternate Version of Pom Poms’ “Betty”
Comprised of singer/songwriter Marlene and Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Billy Mohler, who is probably best known for his work with Awolnation, Liz Phair, Kelly Clarkson, and Macy Gray, the Los Angeles-based duo Pom Poms have […]
New Video: Pr0files’ “Subterranean Homesick Blues”-Inspired Video for “Empty Hands”
The past few days around here have focused on artists who have become mainstays on this site, and if you’ve been frequenting JOVM over the past couple of years, you may be familiar with yet another mainstay […]
F.Y.I,’s musical career began in the middle part of this past decade as the co-founder of Los Angeles-based rap act Those Chosen, with whom he recorded over 100 songs, a number of mixtapes and a critically praised EP, 5IVE, which was produced by Grammy winner IZ Avila best known for his work with Usher, Janet Jackson, and Gwen Stefani. And with the release of his debut solo effort, Yo! The Places You’ll Go, which featured a collaboration with Rass Kass and Ab-Soul, the Los Angeles-based emcee’s album landed at #1 on WPTS, which won an MTVu Woodie Award for Best College Radio Station. And as a result of sharing stages with renowned artists including The Game, B.O.B., Big Sean, Curren$y, Slick Rick, De La Soul, Pac Div, Dead Prez, Little Brother, Black Milk, Pete Rock and CL Smooth and Boot Camp Clik and playing at music festivals such as CMJ, A3C and the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, F.Y.I. has quietly developed a national reputation as an emcee to pay attention to.
The Los Angeles-based emcee’s debut sophomore effort, Age/Sex/Location was released earlier today and the EP’s latest single, EP opening track “One Thang” pairs F.Y.I.’s confident and dexterous flow, rhyming lyrics about looking bravely forward and striving and accomplishing your goals without fear and without doubt. And he does so over
over a glitchy and soulful production consisting of boom bap beats, distorted vocal samples, whirring electronics. It’s swaggering yet upbeat hip-hop which shows how influential Kanye West, Outkast and Common have been to contemporary hip-hop.
Initially begun as the solo recording project of Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jake Hays, Maudlin Strangers over the last year has expanded to a quartet featuring Hays, along with Jeff Lehrer (keys, guitar), Kenneth Benson (bass) and Richie McPherson (drums) for live shows.
If you’ve been frequenting JOVM over the better part of the past year, you may recall that I wrote about Hays’ single “Stay Young” off his EP Overdose, and similarly to Big Data, Hays’ sound doesn’t have the prototypical lo-fi sound you’d expect from most bedroom-based indie rock producers; in fact, “Stay Young” revealed a slick and densely layered production style that buzzed with an anxious urgency in a song that was reminiscent to MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular – but much darker. And as a result, Hays has seen his profile rise nationally as he’s tour with Bad Suns over the winter, and is currently touring with Cold War Kids. (You can check out the remaining tour dates below.)
Hays’ latest single “Sunny Day Rain” will further cement his reputation for a slickly produced sound comprised of cascading synths, sinuous bass lines, four-on-the-floor drums and sensually cooed vocals and anthemic hooks to create a sound that’s shimmering enough to be dance-floor ready — and yet under the surface there’s something murkier and ominous.
Tour Dates
1/10/15 – Fitzgerald’s Downstairs – Houston, TX #
11/11/15 – The Sidewinder – Austin, TX #
11/12/15 – Dada – Dallas, TX #
11/15/15 – Pub Rock – Phoenix, AZ # With Strange Names #
Supporting Cold War Kids *