We continue our "Best of LA Countdown", this time covering two of the artists that made our Year Ends Best of LA Poll list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel, DJs, and our writers and readers).
Babe-a-licious duet Hot As Sun gives our ears a tasty treat with their lo-fi ambient waves of sound. As shown above, their music resonates danceable and fun electro-pop, but is certainly far from mainstream. Although the girls do have occasional help from other members, the masterminds behind the group are Deborah Stoll and Jaime Jackson. "Come Come", their most popular song has hip-hop beats and Madonna-esque vocals, while "Only A Woman" has a smoother, transient sound. They have played venues like The Echo and Bardot as of late, and they are offering a free download of "Come Come" off of their 4 track self-titled EP.
If you mix strong bass chords with off-kilter jazz beats, shimmering keyboards, and powerful vocals, you will get Mad Planet. Add Cooper Gillespe's style, reminiscant of Joan Jett, and Greg Gordan's afro and you've got a sensational duet with contagious chemistry. They just released their EP "Gliese 581g" today, and will be playing at The Viper Room on March 9th.You can also catch them at SXSW.
Funeral Party blends punk aesthetics infused with a nuevo Indie vibe that blows the doors off The Strokes, Killers, and Arcade Fire. This LA group breeds a new crop of the next generations distain for the mundane. Released on March 29th, The Golden Age of Knowhere expresses the angst of youth and gives off the same vibrant energy you experience attending their live performances. The defiance, competitive nature, and taunting in "New York City moves to the Sound of LA" says it all. Every track on this album has a strength to it that when tied together play as a cohesively tight album. The stand out tracks are "Finale", "NYC Moves 2 the sound of LA", and "Youth & Poverty", but even that breakdown isn't fair given the great effort from this band on the verge. Funeral Party opens for Panic! at the Disco at The Wiltern, June 21st.
