The Beautiful View may look like sleek extras from the set of Miami Vice with their tailored suits and high-end shoes, but these San Diego natives are leaving the drama for the dieseled-up action stars and bringing the thrill to the local stages. The quartet’s newly released 10-track LP, “life is beautiful,” has hints of pop, punk, rock, and hardcore. With influences ranging from Blondie, Franz Ferdinand and Duran Duran they prove that they are not afraid to straddle that fine line between an indie and un-indie sound. – Nicole Dawley

 The Sister Ruby Band is the brainchild of 22-year-old art student, Johnny Ruby. Just like the young musician, who was born in Los Angeles and educated in London, his music straddles both continents, oscillating between wailing British shoegaze and gritty American folk. At times, Ruby’s warbling wall of sound screams of the reverb-drenched psych-rockers Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and at others, his grizzled folk sounds like a younger Cass McCombs. These influences are evident on the band’s debut record, In Cold Blood, which is a solid collection of songs that showcases the singer/songwriter’s ability to write meticulous, shimmering psych-rock. – Katrina Nattress

The Sister Ruby Band – Graceland Smile from The Sister Ruby Band on Vimeo.

When is it time for a bedroom recorder to say goodbye to anonymity and step into the limelight? These days, artists, whether good or bad, are courageous enough to expose their body of work, proving their competence to seasoned pros without an inch of doubt. It doesn’t come very often, but Sandy Gilfillan (who goes by the moniker Yes Know) is one of those fortunate ones – a Pasadena multi instrumentalist who dabbles both acoustic resonance and solitary introspection with a vital spark. But behind his arpeggiated style of guitar playing, equal parts Badly Drawn Boy and Bradford Cox, lies a songwriting loafer who won’t settle with quaint, weary compositions. The songs in his self-released sophemore LP, Over Under, dovetail minimal electronic textures with rickety, yet self-assured melodies brushed with a pop sheen. There are currently no show plans, but you can explore Gilfillan’s burgeoning recordings on his Bandcamp page for a more than generous price of admission.

Months before a debut album is expected to drop, Electric Guest has been building quite the buzz. The pop/soul duo, composed of Asa Taccone and Matthew Compton, has released a few songs and announced that Danger Mouse is producing the album, but other than that, not much is known about the project. However, that has not stopped taste-maker KCRW from giving the tracks a lot of early support. Fans will have to wait patiently until the spring of 2012 for the full-length album, and until then, Electric Guest’s upcoming 7" release will have to do. White Iris will release the limited vinyl on December 13, which will include songs "Troubleman" and "American Daydream." Both tracks sustain a soft tranquility, but seem to grow in energy as each song progresses as if they were imitating the blooming of a flower. "Troubleman" is 9 minutes of yearning and transcendency while "American Daydream" is backed by a catchier beat and staggered melody. While both tracks are very strong, they still seem like teasers. They give the feeling that the full-length album will take things even further, especially when it comes to tension and soaring vocals. Electric Guest has done a fine job at escalating the anticipation for the debut album. – Karla Hernández

Check out these new tunes from recent Artist of the Month poll candidates Hi Ho Silver Oh. They recently digitally released an EP called Getting Ready, which includes two songs that are sure to satisfy your needs before they release their second LP next year. Where Have All The Cowboys Gone? is a simultaneously melancholic wail and battle cry of unknown hope. The track, based off a Paula Cole song, starts off slow and builds up to a grand finale that’s sure to get you up and dancing. The second track, Hurt Anybody, is an original tune full of jazz and attitude that descends into trippy sing-speaking looping on top of itself in the middle of it. You can purchase the EP on their Bandcamp site, and you still have time to catch them at their Silverlake Lounge residency next Monday before November ends. – Taylor Lampela

Your mom’s tasty pumpkin pie is not the only thing cooking for the holidays. As a post Thanksgiving treat, Kitten will stream their own spin on The Smiths’ classic “Panic” on November 25th. The track is a part of The Smiths’ tribute album, Please, Please, Please: A Tribute to the Smiths, out on December 13th via American Laundromat Records, featuring indie-rock artists such as The Wedding Present, Stars, Telekinesis, Tanya Donelly and many others. The band is getting awesome buzz on their latest single “Chinatown”. Check it out if you haven’t. – Nicole Dawley

Pulling from an array of 1960s influences, multi-instrumentalist Timothy Hines created a damn near perfect mesh between rock, garage pop, surf and psychedelia under the moniker Tropical Popsicle. After recruiting three band members, the San Diego-based outfit released a 7” and an EP in June, both on Valor Records. Glimpses of The Beach Boys’ famous surf rock can be found in The Age Of Attraction EP’s sun-bleached title track, while the macabre lo-fi psychedelia of The 13th Floor Elevators mixed with The Doors’ classic rock saturates tracks like “The Universe of God Shadow.” With Hines’ ability to write accessible songs that transcend genres, while staying true to DIY lo-fi recording techniques, it is no wonder Tropical Popsicle has opened for lo-fi garage poppers Times New Viking, and performed at this year’s CMJ music festival in October. My fingers are crossed for an LP release in 2012. – Katrina Nattress

 

While Flora & Fauna is a 4-piece band made up of LA natives, the band members quickly note on their website that they have spent some time on the East Coast. This statement is something that is quickly noticeable on the band’s newest songs "White Nights" and "Up All Night." There is something about the band’s energy that screams the city that never sleeps. If you needed a soundtrack for walking around Times Square, the music of Flora & Fauna would do the job. Other than carrying the energetic and bustling vibe of New York City, Flora & Fauna also excrete the cool British attitude of bands like the Arctic Monkeys and Bloc Party. The guys of Flora & Fauna are currently working on an EP, but you can catch them live on December 21st at the Bootleg Theater. – Karla Hernández

Sometimes it seems like the key to keeping it fresh is through reinvention. Jennifer Herrema, formerly of influential groups Royal Trux and RTX, is revamping the band (RTX) she’s been with since 2002 into the newly imagined Black Bananas, and they’re ready to take over the rock scene. They will be releasing their first full-length album as Black Bananas Rad Times Xpress IV at the end of January, but before that you can check out their cover of the Rolling Stones’ "Before They Make Me Run" with Kurt Vile. It’s got Herrema’s signature female rock wail over pounding guitars, and be sure to listen all the way to the end for a sax solo. Rock on. – Taylor Lampela

Black Bananas and Kurt Vile – Before They Make Me Run (The Rolling Stones cover) 

Kiwi, Peach, Bubble Gum, Coconut and Green Apple are some of the many flavors of Jelly Belly jellybeans used to create Kina Grannis’ latest music video for "In Your Arms". Inspired by jellybean art, director Greg Jardin, decided to create a tasty time-consuming masterpiece by shooting in stop motion animation using 288,000 jellybeans, spread throughout 2,460 frames and filmed for 1,357 hours. The whole process took over a year to complete. Warning: you may find yourself with a sweet tooth by the end of the video. – Nicole Dawley

 Adrian Pillado conjured up the idea for Seas Lions in 2007, but his musical influences range from Crass to Lou Reed to Beat Happening, leaving him confused as to what direction to take his project. As time passed, and the DIY punk scene of the young guitarist’s hometown of Oxnard, California began to grow, he found his music cultivating itself to fit into that niche. And now, four years later, Pillado has rounded up a full band to help him play charmingly under-produced garage pop, and has landed himself a spot on the Slumberland roster with the band’s debut LP, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sea Lions, But Were Afraid to Ask, slated for a November 22 release. – Katrina Nattress

Sea Lions – Grown Up by Slumberland Records

The elephant in the room should be acknowledged in Black Elephant. On songs like Four Years, they use a constant thumping beat in the background that propels the song forward, while the vocals, taking on that nonchalant and distant sound reminiscent of 90’s shoegaze, float somewhere near the middle. The oft-used drone and reverb sounds give what could be construed as a simple pop melody; a darker edge that helps them shape a unique sound for themselves. This especially rings true in Roce et Roule, where a guitar line in overdrive and exclamatory vocals make a catchy tune suddenly more gritty. Anyone looking for music to pull a double duty of dance worthy tunes and something to just vibe and relax to can find it in Black Elephant. If you want to catch them live, they’ll be playing at the Open Melody festival in Irvine on the 19th of this month and the Smell in LA on the 27th. – Taylor Lampela