Going to a lot of local shows made me discover a lot of new bands this year. Here is a list of 12 of them I have discovered in 2011 and which let me a strong impression. Of course, it does not mean these bands started in 2011, but that’s the year I saw them. Most of them breathe the California sound in all its variations and reincarnations, and even though I don’t know if any of them will break big in 2012, there is always a chance.
12. Tomorrows Tulips: Alex Knost has this sort of detachment in his vocals sung over sunny waves of sound and the gentle drumming of his girlfriend Christina Keyes. It is a sound that breathes youth and fresh air, even insouciance and California beaches of course. Well, Alex is a professional surfer, I have seen him play barefoot, and his approach of the musical or sea wave is not too different. http://tomorrowstulipstoday.com
11. Bleached: This duo of sisters Jessica and Jennifer Clavin (ex-Mika Miko) brings us a sunny-fuzzy pop-punk sound served by a sort of badass-pretty-girl attitude on stage, showing some unrestrained and exuberant moves. They have only released three singles so far, and, who knows, they could be your next Best Coast with better lyrics? http://www.facebook.com/HelloBleached?sk=info#!/HelloBleached?sk=app_178091127385
10. Pangea: Here are tons of these surfing-gliding guitars and catchy melodies launched by a band that has decided to have fun. A song like ‘You sleep too much’ has a DIY-ethics-meet-the-Strokes feeling, and live, they are a lot of fun, as if they were some close cousins of Fidlar. http://togetherpangea.bandcamp.com
9. Stone Darling: They embody the revival of the girl group sound, with stunning vocal harmonies bringing beauty and a nostalgia of some unlived past. The four girls have captured a 60s-inspired purity and bright shoegazing you could only hoping for, and this even when they cover Funkadelic’s ‘Can You Get to That’. So far, they have only released four singles. http://stonedarling.bandcamp.com
8. The Allah-Las: Their retro-lazy-summery sound is the past and the future at the same time, timeless images of surf and girls in bathing suit on the beach, it’s a very Californian sound, and what’s not to love? Just lay back, put some sun-screen, the sun is high in the sky and the day is very long. http://allah-las.bandcamp.com
7. Hot as Sun: With a heavy use of synth, the girl-duo produces these cinematic dance parties as hot and dreamy as their moniker. ‘Don’t Crowd Around’ is a super catchy hit-in-the-making, ‘Only a Woman’ sounds like the soundtrack of a James Bond movie or something dangerous and sexy like that, and this Jamie Jackson woman can certainly sing. http://hotassun.bandcamp.com
6. Therapies son: Alex Jacob seems to be at the research of some perfect synth-pop song encapsulating Brian Wilson and the Flaming lips at the same time, through a truly colorful and original soundscape, and with timid-melancholic-hushed vocals that then explode into some poignancy unheard of at such a young age. http://therapiesson.bandcamp.com
5. United Ghosts: Their sophisticated krautrock-psychedelic sound layered with vocal harmonies is sure difficult to describe because of its density, but it is not difficult to like. The band calls it ‘shoegazy alt-rock, lo-fi electronics and soundscape-driven psychedelia’, and yes, it is all this and really free of any style at the end. http://www.facebook.com/unitedghosts#!/unitedghosts?sk=app_178091127385
4. Races: They only have released a 3-song EP, but the material they have played live certainly brings a lot of expectation for their upcoming LP next year. The songs are upbeat guitar-keyboard driven pop-rock, and give a large part to vocal harmonies and to a strong cast-ensemble that will bring the names of some large acts (Arcade Fire, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) in your mind. http://races.bandcamp.com
3. Guards: There is no reason why Richie Follin, brother of Cults’ Madeline Follin, would not get the same recognition than her sister. Guards’ compositions have killing and infectious melodies with anthemic potential – just listen to ‘Don’t wake the dead’. It is poppy with great vocals, a bit reminiscent of the 60s at times, even melancholic and energetic at the same time (‘I see it coming’), and bringing its own mysterious recipe for our ear pleasure. http://guards.bandcamp.com
2. Fidlar (Fuck It Dog, Life's A Risk): With their surf-y-Wavves-y approach, fueled by a lot of cheap beer, their garage-punk-rock seems to be rolling on a skateboard. Live, they effortless start mosh pits wherever they are, while having the time of their life. Their recent EP DIYDUI is a must have, with favorites like ‘Wake. Bake. Skate’ and ‘Max Can't Surf’, but their other single release, the Stooges-y ‘I wanna be your cocaine’ shows that they certainly have much more than one good trick. http://fidlar.bandcamp.com
1. Manhattan Murder Mystery: The Satellite had the good idea to give them a Monday residency in December. It was their last one this last Monday, I went to it and it was a chaotic spectacle ending in an occupy-the-stage scene, done by wasted-looking people singing the lyrics and holding their can of beer very high; some half-broken characters you would find in a Bukowsky’s novel, drunk and happy, celebrating loss, loneliness and misery with the most awesome fervor and contagious enthusiasm.
Each of their shows has indeed been a celebration or a battle, depending on how you see things, with a constant rage in Teardrop’s raucous and furious vocals, serving very memorable melodies and a thunderous combination of guitar, bass and drums transforming the place in a mad-powerhouse. I just had the sense that something really forceful was happening at each show I went to.
If they have a song called ‘Christmas Day’, quite appropriate for the season, it is not exactly what you would dream of, since it is about doing speed on Christmas day, and it sums up most of Teardrop’s songwriting, who ‘Always think about Dyin’’ or spills all his raw emotion and self deprecating imagery in songs like ‘Trailer Trash’, ‘Ambulance’, ‘Owen Hart’, and ‘Parking Lot’. Almost all of them are these messy shaking-like-earthquake songs, turning into some epic-gut-wrenching anthems.
Each time I saw them (about 4 times), it was different as their line-up could go from 3 to 7 on stage, but consistent in their stage play, with the looping-bouncing bass of Katya Arce (who never looks at the audience), Laura Velez's fierce drumming, and sometimes the addition of Todd McLaughlin's agile lead guitar, Teardrop's harmonica (at the top of his guitar and vocals), and even a trumpet and some other percussion.
And then, there is this authentic connection with their jumping dancing audience, probably because Teardrop’s songs ring so true to everyone. On Monday night, it was a triumph for Manhattan Murder Mystery, ending the show with ‘Parking Lot’ as usual, bringing a trance-like moment of chaos, and an energy of despair that made people raise their fist while loudly singing these 'ooo-oooo-ooohs'.
Manhattan Murder Mystery has new songs, they actually have a whole new EP you can download for free at their bandcamp page (http://manhattanmurdermystery.bandcamp.com)