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

 

In October, honeyhoney came back from the praire fields with a new album that resurrects the lonely cowboy blues and serenades the soul. Their latest effort, Blly Jack, is a perfect ride through the old west, with a gentle breeze on your face and a lazy sunset to your back. Songs like Angel Of Death, Ohio, and Don’t Know How dance and tickle the heart with beautiful violins, haunting harmonies, and honey-kissed vocals. Accompanied with beautiful instrumentation and arrangements produced by both Suzanne Santo and Ben Jaffe, the deal on this disc is only sweetened and matched with their lonesome lyrics. honeyhoney is currently moseying out west now playing shows in support of Billy Jack, with a stop at the Troubadour in West Hollywood on November 13th. – Mary Broadbent

Earlier this year, Los Angeles producer/visual artist Shlohmo released Bad Vibes, an utterly inventive aural experience that thrusts sparse, yet gleaming electronic beets hovering over fizzling snippets of ambient noise. One of the album’s highlights, Trapped in a Burning House, fills a claustrophic space with dreadful, cacophonous drone and a slowly precipitating guitar squall. The track’s promotional video is just as tenebrous – it follows what seems like a man dragging his vicim streched across a dark woodland, littered with quick-second editing techniques to give us some background about the person in question to better understand his fate. Since its concept is elusive, for better lack of the term, it’s best to open your imagination and let the bleak, subject-matter transfix you into an unsettling place.

Shlohmo – Trapped In A Burning House (Official Video) from Shlohmo.

The Orange County-based quintet My Double, My Brother recently released its debut LP, What We Found Beneath The Ground. The fivesome connected while attending Southern California’s BIola University, through the college’s music program, and began performing under the moniker, “The Fragrance.” Under this name, the band released a few EPs and toured a bit, but after a few musical shifts, the trained musicians not only had a new LP, but a new name as well. Listening to the record, it is evident that the band members studied music. The sound is so tight and technical that it is hard to believe this is a freshman effort. Calling on the usual indie suspects—guitar, bass, keys, drum, vocals—My Double, My Brother has released a solid folk/indie album that drips with Mumford and Sons and Arcade Fire influences, while maintaining its own sound that will surely create buzz in the blogosphere. – Katrina Nattress

Hailing from Los Angeles, Zweng recently released their sturdy EP, titled Notes from: Needle. The band’s lead singer, Ryan Zweng, evokes the vocal dramatics of well-known Britrock frontmen Liam Gallagher and Damon Albarn. Their pop rock craft is cheerful, utterly catchy and well produced.

LA/ San Fransico duo The Peach Kings hold an intriguing mishmash of sounds. One minute, the duo of Steven Trezevant and Page Wood twist their twangy blues riffs with airy synth loops fit for a bar brawl. The next, they’ll write a breezy peaceful melody to embellish its classic pop sound, perfect for a pleasant night drive back home. See them play live at Boootleg Theatre on Monday, November 21st. – Fanelie Rodoz

By Your Side by thepeachkings

Christopher Dallman is a Los Angeles singer-songwriter whose confessional folk chansons, and piercing voice, is equal parts Damian Rice and Tracy Chapman. Though he has no upcoming tour plans, his latest EP, Light the Love, will surely tune into your emotional side.

The Silent Comedy comes back to the main stage (and your mp3 players) with full force by delivering their latest release, titled Cruelty and Clemency, with a true pulse behind it. Following their 2010 full-length album, Common Faults, the new disc is no exception to the talent and vigor these San Diego boys bring. After spending time on the road and sharing the stage with acts such as Mumford and Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Saint Motel, the band rallied back to the studio, producing another EP filled to the brim with gritty vigor and raw, tantalizing magic coursing through its veins. It’s hard to imagine so much energy can be packed in just five tracks, but The Silent Comedy never comes up short when embodying their music with punches of melodies and crunchy guitar chords. Halloween day kicks off their tour in support of Cruelty and Clemency, which is released the following day, November 1st. You can also check them out live at the Bootleg theater on November 14th. – Mary Broadbent

The Silent Comedy – Exploitation

Los Angeles-based independent publishing company Notable Music recently added singer/songwriter Jenny O. to their roster of multitalented musicians. Before signing with Notable Music, Jenny bounced around New York, playing with a few bands and even had a stint with the NY All-State Orchestra. She came to Los Angeles and immersed herself in the music scene, released her debut EP Home and began to grow a fan base after a series of awe-inspiring performances (SXSW) and getting props from influential music lovers (National Public Radio’s Ann Powers). Jenny O.’s sound is a mix of psychedelic rock and folk-pop with a dash of gospel, which had a lot to do with her scientist/wedding singer father introducing her to Beach Boys and Harry Nilsson at a young age. After wrapping up a West Coast tour with Ben Harper, she will return to the studio to complete her first full-length album, due in early 2012.  – Nicole Dawley

The close of a month only means the promise and potential of a new month. And it also means the start of some new residencies. Every Tuesday in November, as a part of their On The Rox local specials, the Roxy will be hosting The Western States Motel, which is the name of the project of local Carl Jordan. His latest self-released record, titled ‘Freeway Freeway Riverbed’,  is an amalgam of country and pop that never strays too far into the extreme of either direction. He creates a sweet and simple sound that is unique, yet comforting and familiar. The project is a solo endeavor, but the live performance is a group effort. Jordan has recruited four other people to play the shows with and it’s bound to be a great time. – Taylor Lampela

The Western States Motel – Country And Western Song

PAPA has gotten quite the buzz behind its recently released debut EP, A Good Woman is Hard to Find. This could be because vocalist/drummer Darren Weiss is also the drummer for San Francisco’s indie rockers, Girls, or it could be because the music this punk-meets-soul outfit produces is catchy as hell. I’d say it’s probably a nice mix of the two. The Los Angeles-based trio’s first single, and music video, “I Am The Lion King,” demonstrates Weiss’s knack for writing minimalist catchy tunes. The video itself speaks volumes about the band’s less-is-more, carefree persona – it features the band, shot in black and white, hitting each other with water balloons, and dancing all willy nilly, and somersaulting in the nude. With themes like this, what’s not to love? – Katrina Nattress

One of the remarkable assets of electronic music is that it is malleable, capable of taking different shapes and forms without any limitations. The creative minds behind 2 Hearts & Chemicals concoct this formula from opposite poles: after forming a kinship as adolescents in Pennsylvania, the duo comprised of Eli Lhymn and Stephen Biebel now reside in New York City and Los Angeles, but that doesn’t impede them to separate themselves from their connective thread: music. Their upcoming EP, titled "Coming Home", stems from a subconscious level, in which a series of opulently arranged synth-pop landscapes conduct its listeners through a kaleidoscope of colorful sounds with a notable level of artistic clarity rarely seen in new acts. They’ve just been signed with experimental-leaning label XD Records, which will release Coming Home on November 11th.