Guilty filthy souled AWOLNATION will be joining the sweetly pop flavored Fitz and the Tantrums, and sibling powered The Belle Brigade at the El Ray Theater this Wednesday, Nov. 17th.

Breathing in pop and exhaling glitch, AWOLNATION’s blend of beats has everyone fired up over the tracks on his debut, Back From Earth. Under the Influence of Giants’ frontman, Aaron Bruno drops his bandmates in favor of exploring deep space with synths and drum machines. While he’s back on earth, he’s been grabbing tour dates from Weezer and MGMT.

But headliners Fitz and The Tantrums haven’t been slouching either, hosting MTV’s Subterranean and performing on the webshow Live From Daryl’s House in the past month. Their spin on retro r&b is sure to get you singing along to tunes like "MoneyGrabber" by the time the second chorus hits.

This is sure to be a night of pop music that spans space and time, so grab that spacesuit and jump on board.

-Angelo Lorenzo

California music doesn’t always have to be about the beach and surfing and pretty girls. The partnership of Aidin Sadeghi and Bret Leinen that form Irvine-based Strange Birds is inspired by California as well, but they present us with a much more intimate portrait of the landscape.

It has a quality of an old memory. The varying amounts of reverb on the vocals stir up a nostalgia that feels as if it’s still close enough to touch. The calm guitar strumming and softly harmonizing vocals on "Save Me" and "Winterbirds" serve up the perfect amount of melancholy equivalent to a rainy fall day. The melodies are simple and repetitive to lull you into total comfort and keep you there. The excitement lies in the details and flourishes in order to take the listener by surprise within their music. These can be exemplified in the dramatic shift from the tranquil pace in the beginning of "Bandages" to a throbbing electric guitar jam for the last minute of the song and the descent from jazzy guitar beats in "Chasing Ghosts" to shivering psychedelia at the end. Each second of the songs are meticulously crafted, but it flows as if done completely effortlessly. It sounds as if the Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver ran away into the forests and the mountains, and came out with this EP.

– Taylor Lampela

If you’re into old, vintage 60’s type music like I am, then I suggest going out to The Tribal Cafe Friday for a night filled with eclectic bands and singer/songwriters. The night will start out with acoustic sets by LA-based Amy Blaschke and the lovely Christina Antipa, who is from Northern California. Following will be a quirky trio called The Corespondents, who is said to be ruling the underground scene of Seattle. The highlights of the night should be the soulful rock jams of San Francisco ensemble The Soft White Sixties, contrasted by the soft, romantic folk sounds of our very own Silver Phial. This will be a night filled with diversity, fun, and good tunes. So come out to Echo Park tomorrow night and get weird.

It’s dance party Thursday! No, not really, I made that up. It’s still a good excuse to get your groove on with pop/new wave rockers The Active Set. They’ve recently released the video for their single "Let The Games Begin", some consolation as they’re tucked away working on a new single. Give them a listen.

-Angelo Lorenzo

You can’t really go wrong with explosives, old-school cars, and rock ‘n’ roll. The Diamond Light has come out with their music video for "Cold Moon", and soon to follow will be their first EP. They have been playing venues like Piano Bar, The Bootleg Theater, Cinespace, The Viper Room, and AC Lounge over the past few months. Keep your ears open, these guys put on a hell of a live show!

–Jenna Putnam

After much anticipation from their previous EP, "Exquisite Corpse", Warpaint recently released their debut album "The Fool". Their enchanting, psychedelic rock is hypnotizing with a dreamy, under the sea type sound. "The Fool" is a 9 track LP with each song ranging in length from 4-7 minutes. The foursome is currently on tour in Europe, but will be playing at The Troubadour on the 12th of December. After that, the lovely ladies are off to Australia for the Laneway Festival until February, so this is a show not to miss!

-Jenna Putnam

Snow and Voices, the celestial electronic pop duo produced by Michael Patterson, has released an interesting remix of their song "I Am A Storm" — a sped up androgynous, trancy electro version of the original single. The sound strays from that of the rest of their 11 track LP, "Anything That Moves", where the haunting vocals of Lauri Kranz accompanied by the heart-wrenching instrumentals of Jebin Bruni provide the listener with a dreary, ethereal ambiance. This track is definitely danceable, the type of mix heard at an underground rave, perfect for those who have grown tired of the resonating one-liners of Lady Gaga. Download the remix here, and listen to their full-length album here.

-Jenna Putnam

Darker My Love has been on the road almost nonstop in support of their new album "Alive As You Are" — recently finishing a tour with Band Of Horses. The band will be heading out again on a national tour with Delta Spirit beginning November 15th. Although DML won’t be coming back this way until their Dec. 8th show at the Music Box, you can check out their video for "Backseat" shot live.

-Angelo Lorenzo

In the fall of 2009, Andrew Carroll’s former six-year band had run its course, his grandmother died after a serious battle with drug addiction, and he married his long-time love. From pain to bliss, these events swirled into lyrics and melodies. Over the course of the next six months Carroll woke each morning with a melody in his head that had to be turned into a finished piece by that night.

With an arsenal of songs, he then called on former bandmate Ryan Ross (keys, bass, trumpet, vocals) and newcomers Jennifer Talesfore (vocals, percussion, keys), Andrew Schneider (guitar, percussion), and Edward Cerecedes (drums, percussion) to help transform these songs into orchestrated ensemble works. The Lonely Wild looks to the American West, drawing influence from the ever-poignant Woody Guthrie, contemporaries Wilco, and the legendary Ennio Morricone whose sonic vision defined a genre for generations. Their music, at once spirited and woeful, accomplishes the contradictory feat of reminding a listener of something they’ve never heard.

-From The Open Blog

Last we heard from Julian Shah-Tayler, we knew we were on the edge his release Coito Ergo Sum sometime this winter. Well another piece of the puzzle has fallen into place, Shah-Tayler will be releasing his single and video for "Say What You Want" when he plays the Moscow Club (@Boardners, 1625 North Cherokee Avenue in Hollywood) on Nov 10th. Of course, as a little after-Halloween treat to all of our Deli readers, we’ve got the permission to preview it here on the website.

Read our first impressions on Coito Ergo Sum

Download Shah-Tayler’s two EPs on Bandcamp

-Angelo Lorenzo

Hot As Sun, LA’s lovely female lo-fi grungy electro duo consisting of Deborah and Jamie, has just recently released the second single, "Only a Woman", off their forthcoming EP. If you’re in the mood today for something with smooth, almost trip hop lyrics, along with a booming wash of sound, you’re in for a treat this Wednesday. Grab their free downloads off of Band Camp.

-Angelo Lorenzo