There is a balance of anonymity and intimacy here in LA that, although dangerous (i.e roadrage, drivebys, plastic surgery), has helped create one of the most diverse sounding music scenes in America. Tied together by a few brave DIY music venues like The Smell, Sync Space, Echo Curio, and Pehrspace, people from many different walks of life come together and share their ideas. Just for a moment though, and then back into their silence-mobiles and to their unique little neighborhoods and secret lifestyles. Honestly, I’ve never seen the movie ‘What We Do Is Secret’, but the title only makes perfect sense for a film about LA music. So one can only guess what crazy lifestyle is influencing the band E&E. Nothing else in LA sounds like this band, although with the internet craze of Chillwave going on, it will be no surprise if they capture your heart and imagination the way they are around here. Lush and personal yet sci-fi and cinematic. These romantic sounds are groundbreaking.

E&E – Gate

Their debut, untitled album just came out. At the moment only available here… which is, um, my own distro. Don’t mean to be self-serving, if an alternate place to get it pops up, I will let you know.

Sci-fi in another completely mysterious manner are Rabbits. A journey through their website is simultaneously a journey through an alternate universe of astronaut rabbits, time-folded history of punk, and confusion all around. What is the truth of Rabbits? Are they a current a band? Are they something rediscovered from punk archeological digs on Mars? In any case, they are the sludge of deep space. Don’t let their name mislead you, these are not the friendly, cuddly creatures you once knew. Perhaps the fine line between pet and livestock finally got to them. Beware listener.

Rabbits – Monkey Mites

Rabbits have an equally dangerous 10″ out now on Eolian.

Until Invisibility Cloaks go retail, we here at 20 Jazz Funk Greats will keep indulging in the mysteries of sound. Probably after that too, if you don’t mind? That said, video still offers some great voids to jump into. tik///tik just dropped his first video. Is it small and quaint or cosmically expansive ala Inner-Space? You be the judge:

Can’t Let Just Anybody Hold Me from Entropic Tarot on Vimeo.

Living here in California, the whole mystique surrounding the Cali-Lo-Fi-Tropical thing has a been a little lost on me. Best Coast sounds great, but I’m not lost in some sound-therapy fantasy when I hear it. But when I saw this video from Manchester’s Obsidian Pond it really clicked. This prismatic wish of love and calypso may not be what Cali life actualy is, but it does make me jealous of those that get to dream of it from far away.

Obsidian Pond “Sundog Sinners”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqPYzOaKCa8[/youtube]

Obsidian Pond- Sundog Sinners

The fantasy that does pull me in still is that of Halloween. The only day in the USA that strangers actually visit each others homes and act like we aren’t afraid of each other. Oh wait, we are supposed to be acting scary? I don’t know. Social reality is very confusing to me.

Halloween makes sense though. Why not get freaky and turn on smoke machines!?!?!?! Cuz Halloween is about a lot more that being spooky.

And so is Lo-Fi drone for that matter! So when everyone pigeon holes all these fantastic lo-fi dronesters like US Girls and Grouper as just spooky goth girls, they are being lazy. Pay attention! It is a medium capable of expressing anything and everything. Thats why I am so stoked on this new Inca Ore track on Not Not Fun. This bold proclamation is not only happy, but insanely confident in a way that could never be confused with depression. This is life-affirming!!!

Inca Ore-Ruff Ridin’

Don’t despair though! If happiness bums you out, then I still got some true Halloween shitz for you! The first is an incredible video debut from E&E (who I posted a track from here earlier this year) While totally ghetto-tech inspired in the vocal chants, there is so much foreboding and desolation in the strange production here that I can’t help but think of the way David Lynch reinterprets the norm. Everything you are used to, flipped on its belly to see the demons beneath.

You go E&E! And you go Angela for making this awesome video!

E&E “Variable X” video:

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/7058053[/vimeo]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsiP6lem8Vw[/youtube]

Or if scary isn’t your idea of Halloween, and you just like costumes, then how about this music that is wearing a sich Nine Inch Nails costume?

Everyone is familiar with the so and so shreds videos by now, right? Where people take footage of a famous band playing and overdub inept music performances timed masterfully to seem like Santana actual has no idea how to play guitar. Or, to my ears, actually loves NO WAVE!!!

Yes!!!

I honestly think these shreds videos are producing some of the most amazing, alternate-logic No Wave music in ages. Driven by visuals rather than audio-aesthetics, the results and other-worldly without being nonsense. The Nine Inch Nails shreds kind of takes the cake. So I started doing some detective work and discovered that the music for NiN Shreds was made by Matthieu Le Berre from France. I’ll show you the video, which is funny. But listen to the music on its own. That is where the truly paranormal experience awaits!

Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Matthieu Le Berre-Ninin

The Valley of Smoke is what Native Americans called the area now known as Los Angeles. Geographically predisposed toward fires, dusty air, and an apocalyptic feeling in general, it didn’t help in the 80′s that we let the smog get so bad that on some days kids weren’t allowed to play outside due to it being a health hazard. Smog and traffic. Thats what LA is known for. Although after 2 decades of increasingly strict pollution regulations the smog is essentially gone. Traffic, on the other hand is worse than ever. Worse due to the internet actually! Telecommuting just means that anyone might decide to get in their car and drive somewhere at any point in the day. At least in the 80s people were stuck at work during the day!

And yet, this is the home of glamor. And when you put the two together, the pain and fun, you get that sweet brand of poppy noise rock that LA is known for right now. But you also get a particular brand on folk music that is sadly overlooked by most Smell-savvy journalists. As much a part of the “smell scene” as anyone else are awesome dudes like John Thill.

John Thill- Broken Freeways

Most proudly hailing from the Riverside/Pamona area east of LA (and decidedly more method out/wasteland fucked),  John Thill’s geography based mostly-acoustic song writing hits home for any LA resident and is much more worthy of being exported than Spelling neighborhood prime-time soap. Having toured the US with Abe Vigoda, having an album out on seminal cassette label Shrimper (yes, of Sebadoh fame), and being an all around great guy, I just keep wondering, “When will the world know?”

In the meantime, John bailed on LA for northern pastures in librarian land. Life is full of exceptions, isn’t it?

E&E- Exodus

Speaking of exceptions, I more than realize that this track by E & E hardly sounds like acoustic/folk music. Despite being an incredible example of Prince-esque light jazz, lo-fi in all the right ways, and just waiting for Chuck Mangione to scream copyright infringement, these two dudes are most often a accapella group! True! It is a mindblowing act to see live. On bills with screaming guitars and pounding beats, to have these two guys step up and just rely on their vulnerable naked voices is one of the most powerful and fun things to see around LA. But as all creative people are, they are unrestrained and when I asked them for a track this equally sich track is what I got. So let your imagination do the work and enjoy the softness in the meantime!

Just in case you do like acoustic guitars though

Nicole Kidman- Life Really Sucks

It is best to leave you with true lo-fi singer songwriter madness. Sung falsetto ala Child Pornography (the band, ok), and with simple, to the point, pseudo suicide lyrics, this endearing piece is the real Juno for LA. I can only hope the future of cinema is not far behind.

Nicole Kidman at Myspace