Experimental noise rock and other platitudes won’t really convey just how invasive Moon Pearl’s sound is; yet that is precisely what makes their first two records a treat for anyone with a taste for over-the-top distortion, and I guess… torture for everyone else. Strictly speaking, the sum of harsh strings, smashing cymbals, random yaps and worrying howls hardly qualifies as anyone’s comfort zone. But what you hear, if you let yourself get pulled into the frenzy as it gets denser, and slowly builds up to chaos one instrument at a time, is a youthful urge to play; it’s light-hearted, heavy-handed DIY nonsense, carefully crafted and served with the highest energy by up to ELEVEN experienced noisemakers. Who will, as it goes, be shaking up The Echo on July 25th (recommended to those who like loud, messy music and real live fun!).- Tracy Mamoun

 

LA four-piece Everest released a new album today, entitled “Ownerless.” The group’s third album is stocked with rocking guitars and confident vocals, courtesy of lead singer Russell Pollard (formerly of Sebadoh). The band changes things up a bit with “Rake Me Over the Coals,” in which Pollard’s voice takes on an especially dreamlike quality, forming one of the album’s best tracks. Everest is on tour this summer with Alberta Cross, and they’ll make a stop at the Troubadour on July 24th. You can listen to “Rake Me Over the Coals” below. – Joshua S. Johnson

Electronic duo Nguzunguzu (prounounced en-goo-zoo-en-goo-zoo) is giving a first taste off its newest EP with the track "Delirium". Asma Maroof and Daniel Pineda are the masterminds behind the intricate sounds, and they are gearing up to release the 5-song EP entitled "Warm Pulse" on Tuesday. If the sharp sounds of "Delirium" are any indication, the new EP will be an unsettling experience in the best possible way. While the track stays pretty mellow throughout, the deep baseline gets under the listener’s subconscious, bubbling blood in veins and raising adrenaline. At only three minutes and 39 seconds, the songs seems to move through a number of different realms. Nguzunguzu’s previous release, the "Timesup" EP, showed a worldly spectrum of beats that were well thought-out, yet still accessible enough that they could be something that artists like MIA could use. "Delirium" seems to continue on that path, but also takes an introspective vibe. Nguzunguzu just came back to LA after performing at the Sonar Festival in Barcelona, but will not be in town for long. The pair will head off to New York for a show on July 7th for MoMA PS1’s Warm Ups. Their next show in town will not be until July 14th at the Complex in Glendale. "Warm Pulse" will be available digitally on Tuesday and physically on August 14th via Hippos In Tanks. – Karla Hernández

It’s been quite the week for California garage rock – first, Ty Segall garners heaps of critical adulation for "Slaughterhouse", and then Thee Oh Sees announce their gazillionth album in a time frame of six years. Maybe not that much, but I’ve obviously lost count. And there’s nothing wrong with that – record labels used to pressure artists to release multiple albums in the same year. Didn’t The Beatles release "Please, Please Me", "With the Beatles" and "Hard Day’s Night" in 1963? So perhaps the Allah Las work deliberately slow because they’re pop perfectionists. After countless sporadic gems, the local gang have finally unveiled their much anticipated self-titled debut. Less rackety than their Northern and OC Cali counterparts, Allah Las seem to be pointing at a more breezy and tuneful direction – just take a look at the video for Tell Me (What’s On Your Mind), which features the quartet sporting exquisitely-tailored matching suits and shaggy hair through the lens of a Super 8 camera. Innovative Leisure will be releasing it on September 18th. Oh, and while you’re at it, sync it on your device of choice and have a day out in the sun , why don’t you?

Torches, a three-piece rock outfit comprised of Azad Cheikosman, bassist Bidgette Moody and Eric Fabbro, want to aim high. And good for them. It takes a special brand of excellence to capture the sweeping, sonic landscapes and ringing guitars of eighties stalwarts like U2 and the Alarm, albeit without the sheer pomposity. Heads Full of Rust balances beguiling, crisp guitar pop arrangements with a gloomy undercurrent, but it does so in a way that’s always tuneful. Ambience is also a big part component of their sound, which soaks most of their tingling strums and crescendoing choruses. Its more restrained moments are especially mesmerizing, like in "Dirt & Tears", in which a loungy, jangly melody is seeded with thick, droning effects and colorfully layered tones. Moreover, there’s no need to cherry pick the ripe ones, as it’s the kind of record that works all the way through. Make sure to catch Torches at Bootleg Bar on June 22nd. – Juan Edgardo Rodríguez (@juanerodriguez)

Power pop group Lovers Drugs has just wrapped up a West Coast tour and will soon be back gracing the stages of LA, starting with a show at the Satellite on June 28th. The 3-piece group is a more genuine version of bands like the Arctic Monkeys and Hot Hot Heat, and reminiscent of the boisterous fun that OK Go is well-known for. Songs like "Drift Off" and "You Don’t Know You" are witty and playful, making it hard not to smile. For the former, the band released a video that pays homage to ’80s culture, focusing on the decade’s beloved video games. The story is centered around the 1982 Video Game World Championships and is full of amusing characters and suspenseful competition. While Lover Drugs certainly knows how to have fun, the members can also belt out a heartfelt love song. "Boys With Money" and "Mood Ring" are more on the mellow side, but have a lasting impression. The unchanging factors throughout the album are bright guitars and a crisp sound that can make anyone dance. – Karla Hernández

Boasting a raucous, yet relentlessly catchy garage sound, reckless SoCal punks Audacity are gearing up for the release of their upcoming new album, entitled “Mellow Cruisers”, which is coming out July 10th on Burger/ Recess Records. They’ve just premiered the video for the new song “Punk Confusion”, which features the band living it up with their, well, punk-ish antics: orchestrated shaky camera work, storm drain hijinks, and lots of booze…and pizza. It’s all a bit precious, especially when they’re having a fun night out at the carnival, but their sense of avoidance to any sort of responsibility suits them well. The human drum kit concept is especially memorable, which leads me to think why it hadn’t been thought out before. Two members of Audacity, Thomas Alvarez and Matthew Schmalfeld, are currently on the road performing in King Tuff on their current tour, which will make a stop in Los Angeles on July 27th at the Echo. – Juan Edgardo Rodríguez (@juanerodriguez)

Let Them All Talk, out June 26, is the first national release from San Diego’s The Nervous Wreckords (featuring guitarist/vocalist/producer Brian Karscig of LOUIS XIV). "Indie pop" is not the band’s favorite descriptor, but with catchy guitar riffs, sass-fueled lyrics, melodic choruses, and beats that dance, it’s hard not to call it pop music. Recorded on all Neve and ’60s and ’70s gear in Karscig’s home studio, it can’t be called anything but independent. With nods to T-Rex, Prince and even some AC/DC, the band takes a fresh, forward-looking approach to their sound. Breakups, jealousy, beauty, and confidence (with a healthy dose of sexual tension) are all rolled into an album that sounds like a party you should’ve been at. In the two years since its formation, the band has toured and played with The Killers, Cee-Lo Green, Brandon Flowers, Florence + the Machine, Death Cab for Cutie, the Naked and Famous, and many more. The band has been busy in 2012 with finishing up the album, touring with Weezer, Yuck, Antlers and Wavves through the Caribbean, and preparing for their own US/Canada tour later this year.

On June 26th, Vapor Records will release Hero’s Dose, the sophomore album from the Los Angeles bred quartet. The album was produced by Niko Bolas and recorded at the legendary Sunset Sound. Following the release of their debut Would Work in 2010, the young band headed out on a whirlwind tour of the US, including stops at Bonnaroo, Wakarusa and Dave Matthew’s Caravan as well as a late night TV appearance on Conan. It also coincided with many of its members’ 21st birthdays, marking a coming of age moment both personally and artistically. Hero’s Dose has the band taking a more mature new direction and adding new sonic textures. The band will be on tour throughout the summer, including a show on Satellite on June 26th.

LA-based Nathaniel Eras creates tracks that contain elements of both the DIY noise scene of The Smell and the experimental hip-hop beats of the Low End Theory/Brainfeeder scene. Under the moniker ERAS, the producer has dropped a few well-received limited releases, as well as remixing music from artists like Death Grips and Chelsea Wolfe. His latest full-length, Portals, is set for a June 12 release. On the record, the electronic artist embraces the duality of vinyl—the first side explores new soundscapes, creating a lush, warm atmosphere, while the howling drones of the second side set a more sinister mood. Check out the video for side two’s opener, “Oath,” below. — Katrina Nattress 

As much as the concept of writing an album is many times orchestrated by a desire to unify some arbitrary theme, there are instances when that idea emerges because of pure circumstance. House of Mysteries, the debut release by Skyline Pigeons, was concocted after sisters Roxanne and Caroline Teti went through the unfortunate event of losing their home after a calamitous wild fire in Santa Barbara. So, in a sense, they took the time to reflect after that traumatic experience and decided to channel their grief toward healing by creative expression. Through Roxanne and Caroline’s harmonic interplay, House of Mysteries never goes through the motions, opting to take a musical journey that takes them down different paths – starry-eyed folk arrangements, jagged garage rock, arpeggiated synth effects and even some fine ol’ country twang all make appearances. Supervised by notable producer Ryan Hedlock, it never fails to evoke these shimmering moments of impermanence, which considering the surprises life can take, is something the Teti sisters never take for granted in their versatile compositions. They’ll be celebrating the CD release of House of Mysteries with a performance on Molly Malone’s on June 1st. – Juan Edgardo Rodríguez (@juanerodriguez)

A pop singer by trade, and roots songwriter written across his soul, Doran Danoff preaches his gospel from country to blues, with a voice recalling muses like David Gray, and even Jeff Buckley at times. His stories will take you from the blinding lights of Hollywood ("Go Lightly Hollywood"), to the invisible threats described in my fave ‘Paper Tigers. In his latest record "The Ghost & The Scratch", all these spirits are captured together and let loose in an eclectic melange of Americana. – Mike Levine @Goldnuggets