Dark Allies – Light Asylum from Grant Worth on Vimeo.

Light Asylum-Dark Allies

The surprise of last week’s Salem show was this band, Light Asylum. What an awesome performance and such fantastic energy! They almost made me forget the awkward crowd around me: rude supermodels, fascist bristling musclemen, Gucci Goths and other posers from the alienated suburbs. Not to say, it was all bad. I just happen to notice the creepy elements because I pay attention and also because this whole Witch House scene seems rather made-up. For that reason, I gave the crowd more scrutiny than I would otherwise.

I did a brief poll of those around me and asked “Do you know what Witch House is?” I was trying to find out if it really is a “scene” or something being pushed on bands that have that dragging beat drone. Some people chuckled when I asked but became more serious when I said I’m asking for my blog and then they were like “Which blog???” Don’t get excited pretties, I can’t make you famous. Most had heard of Witch House and when I asked if it was something they felt part of, one girl answered “I only have five other friends who like it.” That seems like a lot, right?

But back to Light Asylum, they were my favorite of the night and a tough act for Salem to follow. Light Asylum actually got the crowd dancing, uninhibited kinda dancing too. They were fun to watch and the music was excellent. An electronic band that knows how to put on a live show. Cheers to Shannon Funchess and Bruno Coviello of Light Asylum for making my night and helping me to forget the drippy Echoplex crowd!

Here’s a real show review because I’m not cut out for this kinda thing.

Light Asylum @ The Echoplex, Los Angeles

Red Moon-Nothing There (2006)

Yeah, I know. I’ll never get over it. Go ahead and say it, I’m the shoegazer that never looked up.
I can’t help but like new music that sounds like old music but the old music that at one time sounded new. You know what I mean? Think Cocteau Twins.

Red Moon are two sisters from Göteborg, Sweden. Until recently, they were unsigned and probably not really famous anywhere. They should be though. Their sound is ephemeral, beautiful, moody and yes…just a tad witchy. Throw them on a mix with Fever Ray or Austra for a nice melancholy afternoon of music.

Their new album, I Am Here has just been released, listen to sound clips here.

Austra – Beat and Pulse (extended)

Everyday I fall in love…with music and if you only knew what I desire to do with this song.

Next time someone asks me what kinda music I listen to, I’m gonna answer “beat and pulse” solely based on this song which makes me wish all electronic music paid more attention to creating polyrhythmic layers. Beat and Pulse is an aptly titled musical homage to a previous genre, (hint: remember the days when people were happy but dressed like they were depressed?) the goth 80s. The beat is pure old school cold wave electronica, the pulse relentless and the amazing vocals by Katie Stelmanis are flavored with Siouxsie-like echoes combining to create an overall sinister kind of mood. Is a goth revival coming too? Let’s skip the goth moniker and call it Witch House (sorry, but that stuck). It’s true, I was a goth kid at one point, isn’t it obvious? That’s what happens when you’re a little mocasa Chicana living in Boyle Heights and your kinda-hippie parents move you to the suburban wasteland of Rosemead (sorry, incorporated South San Gabriel). Things happen, or they don’t happen and you’re bored and then you listen to KSPC at night. Then you dye your hair black and start wearing clothes from the thrift store and end up dancing with some flailing arm moves that surprisingly, get you almost voted “Best Dancer” for the eighth-grade yearbook but instead it goes to the more popular girl who likes to freak. Uh, where was I? Yeah, this song is a really good nu-goth, synthwave, darkwave, witchy kinda tune that makes me wanna dance, flailing arms and all.

It seems the best music these days is coming out of cold weather spots, Austra are from Toronto, Canada. The amazing things you can create when you’re stuck indoors.

The cleaner sounding, dirtier version!

Creep-Days

I never fail to get a kick out of the various random ways new genres of electronic music adapt monikers to describe their little corner of the music world. The New York female duo Creep has been described as “Witch House” and I kinda like it. At one point they called their music “rape gaze.” I guess as a distinction from the passive “shoegaze”? But now have moved away from that term.
I’m not a huge fan of The xx but appreciate Romy Madley Croft’s contribution to this track. Her languid vocals provide a bit more of that moody witchy-ness I’ve come to appreciate in this post-Fever Ray world of ours.
This is Creep’s debut track put out on the Young Turks label.

New music from Metronomy! I can always count on them for some decent melancholy electro-pop. This video is a nice representation of what dreams are like, severe looking woman and all.

This Metronomy song’s still my, uh, favorite though: A Thing for Me.

The Raincoats – Off Duty Trip

“They seemed like ordinary people playing extraordinary music.”

The Raincoats site here.

The Raincoats – Black and White

Pop world in shock after Boney M star dies

I’m shocked he didn’t die in the 70s from copious cocaine use. But to die on the same day as Rasputin, now that’s something!
My lengthy post on Boney M from 2008 here.

Earl Sweatshirt – EARL

The future is mistaking your alienation for passion.

From the LA Weekly article about this group:

Sweatshirt’s video, called “Earl,” is how I stumbled upon Odd Future. Directed by A.G. Rojas, it features Earl sitting under a hair-salon dryer rapping about ass sex, catfish and decomposing bodies while his Odd Future posse members drink a smoothie made of cough syrup, weed, pills and powders, with gory, deeply disconcerting consequences. “Let’s all fucking kill ourselves,” someone commented on YouTube, which pretty much summed up how the video made me feel, too.

“Poor Earl…”

Hoja en Blanco (not sure of the artist)

Los Caminos de la Vida · Los Diablitos

Los Angeles Azules – Como Te Voy A Olvidar

Cumbias heard in the streets of Mexico and in the cars of Los Angeles reminding listeners it’s possible to dance to your own heartache.