Los Angeles is considered the entertainment capital of the world... That may be the case but you wouldn't believe some of the shite bands I've seen around town this year... However, there's also some really cool music out there and here are my 10 LA bands to look out for in 2009 (in no particular order...) and why they may or may not make it...
1) Warpaint: think Bat for Lashes with groove...
Your drummer leaving the band could be considered a bad thing - but when she leaves to star in a Hollywood movie opposite Heath Ledger (and still has a sister in the band) an avenue of possibilities opens.
WHY? They are better than Bat for Lashes!
WHY NOT? A celeb audience at your shows is no guarantee of success...
Warpaint on MySpace!2) ExDetectives: think The Railway Children meets Radiohead...
A debut EP and West Coast tour are promised for early 2009 and getting on the road (out of LA in other words) is probably a good move...
WHY? Music is due a U-turn away from indie dance back to intelligent art-rock...
WHY NOT? LA is not a good place to make it for a band playing intelligent music...
ExDetectives on MySpace!3) The Happy Hollows: think a grungy Yeah Yeah Yeah's...
Sarah Negahdari is the anti-pop star: quirky and funny, and the powerpop three-piece are always an entertaining gig.
WHY? Great live and effortlessly cool!
WHY NOT? The kids may not be ready for a grunge revival...
The Happy Hollows on MySpace!4) David Shane Smith: think Leonard Cohen covered by Beck.
Poet troubadour DSS is comfortable with either an acoustic guitar or a sampler...
WHY? Only Conor Oberst has come close to the lyrics of Dylan - until now...
WHY NOT? The kids will say Leonard who?
David Shane Smith on MySpace!5) The Fresas: think Be Your Own Pet with a sense of humour...
East-LA indie chicks with matching outfits and great harmonies...
WHY? Great image and a fun live show!
WHY NOT? The songs maybe a little too jokey...
The Fresas on MySpace!6) STANLEYLUCASREVOLUTION: think lo-fi David Bowie.
The loop guru is currently incorporating additional musicians into the SLR line-up.
WHY? Unbelievably talented musician, singer and performer!
WHY NOT? Again, LA isn't the ideal place to break a leftfield artist like Robertson...
stanleylucasrevolution on MySpace!7) Lemon Sun: think Glasvegas playing songs written by The New Radicals...
One of the best live bands I saw in 2008 - had the audience eating out of the palm of their hand...
WHY? Great live band...
WHY NOT? The recordings I've heard so far don't capture the live experience!
Lemon Sun on MySpace!8) Brookline: think Pink Floyd with a pinch of Radiohead.
The stylish OC hipsters have the chops and the looks and that can go a long way...
WHY? Young, good looking and talented...
WHY NOT? Need to write a couple of hits...
Brookline on MySpace!9) The Rhone Occupation: think The Bends era Radiohead meets Elliott Smith.
The Rhone Occupation are geeky but cool - they don't look like The Band and that works for me...
WHY? Entertaining live show and sensitive well-written songs...
WHY NOT? They sound too much like Radiohead...
The Rhone Occupation on MySpace!10) boxViolet: think The Ting Tings covering The Sisters of Mercy.
The LA duo have a liking for elaborate orchestral stabs and indie guitars...
WHY? Strong image and some catchy songs...
WHY NOT? I'm not sure the indie kids are ready to embrace anything remotely sounding like goth...
boxViolet on MySpace!So have any of these bands got what it takes to make it big in 2009? I say let the kids decide...
