Molly Bergen

Don't judge a pop band by it's cover. Yes okay, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, is a heartbreakingly silly name for a band (I mean I don't think they'll be tattooed on anybody's chest anytime soon) but man they've got a sparkly debut disk. Chock full of 80s inspired pop, the kind that would fit in the background of any John Hughes movie, the self-titled offering has already have generated some most impressive buzz. Lead singer, Kip Berman was kind enough to answer our questions while he was running around Pitchfork Festival this weekend. Here is some of what was said.

Sometimes music comes from the least likely of places, but 'lo and behold, three siblings have recorded an album that would make Fats Domino smile. Kitty (16) Daisy (21) and Lewis (18) have made an album that includes playing 40’s/50’s R&B and country, western and swing, Hawaiian and rock ‘n’ roll...basically anything that your grandparents danced to...and made it fresh again. And who doesn't like to groove to oldies (even if they're really newies?)

Like so many teenagers before him, when Ryan Sollee was fifteen he asked his parents for a guitar. Due to his less than perfect grades, they turned him down, but young Sollee was not to be deterred. He went down to the garage and built one from scratch with some of his dad's fishing line and some balsa wood. "It sounded horrible," he admitted, "But my parents were so impressed, that they broke down and got me one. Either that or the noise was getting to them."

It was all an accident. All he originally wanted to do was start a swimwear line with his girlfriend for kicks. Sean Bones had no intention of forming a reggae-influenced pop band or acting in a film, let alone shouldering the responsibilities of holding down the lead role. In fact he's not entirely sure how it all happened. One minute he was happily playing with his indie rock band, Sam Champion, in Brooklyn, the next minute he's got a movie, Wah Do Dem, premiering at LAFF and a reggae album dropping in July. How did this side project spiral into a brand new band? We caught up with Sean this weekend to find out.

The Thermals fit into this bizarre nebulous world that exists between rock and punk. They're a little too brash and uncut for rock and a little too soft for punk . I mean they've got a swan on their drum set for Pete's sake. (On their website their music is described as post-pop-punk, but God knows what that even means.) I would describe it as punk that people can get excited about without fear of a mosh pit or being clocked on the back of the head by a crowd surfer's shoe. Or alternatively, punk that parents would approve of. Sure their lyrics are dark and nihilistic , but hot dang those hooks are catchy.

Ann Yu wins Weirdest Teenage Rebel Award hands down. When she was sixteen her parents banned her from the high school orchestra in Las Vegas because she was too dedicated to the violin. She would practice long into the night, making sure she always won first chair, and her parents had to fight with her to go to bed. By the time she was thirteen, Yu had acquired scabs on her chin due to her diligent playing. It got to be too much for them and they forbade her from playing the high school orchestra. Having acquired a driver's license, Yu joined a local rock band. "That's where the idea to be in a band sprung from. I realized you didn't need a whole orchestra to make music." All these years later, Yu is still just as passionate to her art. (Her parents have finally come around to the idea.) Her latest band, LoveLikeFire' s debut album will be out in August, but is already garnered some heavily positive praise from critics. Yu was kind enough to speak with us about her upcoming debut yesterday evening. Here is some of what was said.

There were rumors circulating inside the Wiltern on Monday night that some people had shown up only to catch the sinister blues of Band of Skulls on their last night in Los Angeles before dashing across town to see another show. High praise, considering their album Baby Darling Dollface Honey only came out in March, tickets were $33 a pop, and the Band of Skulls went on at 8 (which meant getting there in rush hour traffic which is nothing to sneeze at). But man, oh man, was it worth it. The sparse outfit which included only a bass guitarist, guitarist and drums set the world on fire with their dark dirty London blues. In a traditional black leather jacket, lead guitarist Russel Marsden smoked and sizzled with hair raising riffs which complemented Emma Richardson's smoky voice exactly. With her husky timber reminiscent of Joan Jett or Chrissy Hynde, and his slightly high resonance, their harmonies had a slightly androgynous quality. As if their voice belonged not to them, but to some multigendered seducer who was going to swoop down and fuck you senseless, no matter what your gender, sexual preference, or moral code as Matt Hayward's heavy, monster drums kept time. What I’m saying is that it felt good.

Some would argue that trying to get a grip on the scope of the Los Angeles music scene is an impossible task. By the time you finished listening to every single band in Los Angeles county, half of them would be broken up and like a cacophonous hydra, a whole new generation of music would have sprouted while your back was turned. Few people attempt this daunting feat, and those who do seem to possess crazy, masochistic tendencies (myself included). Fortunately for you, we have one such editor who undertakes that insane quest daily (namely Mr. Joshua Pressman) but should Tonight in Rock not fulfill all your needs, and you want a radio station that plays all local Los Angeles bands all the time...Jon Hershfield has the the website for you. Founder of IsGoodMusic.com, Hershfield has set out to find the diamonds in the rough that are lying right under our noses. The website provides a social networking site for bands, a radio station with interviews, and a up-to-date calendar on all the local gigs that are worth catching. We caught up with Jon Hershfield recently and asked him how it was going.

Holy Jesus and the Mary Chain, Batman! Crocodiles are coming to the Troubadour tonight supporting their two month old, brand spanking new, debut disk, Summer of Hate(Fat Possum). Toting loud fuzzed out guitars, electric drums, and sneering lyrics that knock you breath back, Crocodiles have created a pulsing spaced out noise that will vibrate through your skull for days...in a good way. Brandon Welchez was kind enough to speak with us yesterday by phone. Here is some of what was said.

Calling me from an In n' Out Burger somewhere in Northern California, Lexy Benaim is happy. He's on tour with fellow Brooklynite up and comers Passion Pit, his band has been listed as one of the bands to watch by Paste magazine, and most importantly he's got his hands on some animal fries. Life is pretty good. Harlem Shakes' debut disk, Technicolor Health, is brimming with sunshine and catchy pop hooks without being overly sweet. It's the kind of album you would want on a bike ride along Venice Beach or on a picnic in Griffith Park. Between mouthfuls of fries, Lexy was kind enough to answer some of our probing questions. Harlem Shakes - Sunlight