If music be the food of love, then consider The Golden Tongues polyamorous. That's the name of a new project by Chris Garcia, one half of Whittier's electronic post-rock duo Let's Drive to Alaska. 

In the first track to Golden Tongues' upcoming b/w, "Always On My Mind," Garcia sings in heart-on-sleeve cadence with an airy inflection that calms interjections of cardamom synths and guitar jangle. It's a measured effort, not to mention a solo effort since last year. And while the result might not capture the naiveté of Wild Nothing or Real Estate, it does rekindle the fluttery feeling of a new crush. As with his debut EP "Extractions," Garcia is still finding his love, but takes greater pleasure exploring musical flings than brooding in alexithymic solitude.

Hang out tonight at Lot 1 Café as The Golden Tongues play a Counter Culture-curated show with Ablebody and Foliage — it's free and starts at 8 pm. - Ryan Mo

Out in Riverside, Graeme Crane, the owner of the limited-run Salope Cassette label, has been busy for the past few years pushing out tapes of hard-to-find artists. It's good stuff; local acts that don't get nearly as much exposure as their PR-privileged peers, yet carry strong Internet cult followings.

Graeme's also programming/vocals in the coldwave group Cruelty Code, with keyboardist Kevin Martin (ex-Apathean, Eisenhower), bassist Derek Page (The Victoriana), and guitarist Jack Montgomery (ex-Contraciel). Their aloof and meme-friendly Facebook demeanor tends to precede their sound. Listener be warned: this is harsh, ominous, and emancipating — a stereoscopic experience of 80's dystopic overscoring and lo-fi recordings cut with adulterants. Mixed with acts like Ghost Noise, Band Aparte, Crisis Arm, and Michael Vidal, and you're pretty much guaranteed a dissociative evening via sensory overload.

Catch them at the next hidden warehouse show with Crescendo and Foliage this Halloween. - Ryan Mo