through the rosy tint

Allah-Las – 501-415

“501-415” puts Allah-Las in full retro swing. The video’s editing and hi-jinks make us think the band is The Monkees’s cooler, older brother…from the future.

we go out in the darkness

La Sera – Fall in Place

After fighting through the heartbreak, La Sera‘s Katy Goodman has stepped into the light. Tip-tap drums and jangling guitars skim over Goodman’s smoky, knock-down, drag-out voice. Even at its sweetest it has an edge; she’s a modern-day Mary Weiss.

the lovers and the fighters take their swings at me

Benign is the word that jumps to mind when listening to LA’s War Tapes. They’re likable, but nothing to write home about. They’re kind of boring, but not enough to turn the speakers off. On their self-titled EP, it’s more or less middle of the road.

The War Tapes EP is a six-song collection of new wave-influenced power-pop. The black hair dye and pleather practically seep out of the speakers as singer Neil Popkin’s wannabe-Ian Curtis vocals drone over synth and guitar. Nothing on the album particularly stands out, as it’s all a respectable stab at a sound that first hit over twenty years ago / a more morose version of what The Killers did on Hot Fuss.

“Dreaming of You” has a slightly more bombastic sound that is gunning for an arena-appropriate sound, but Popkin loses his unattached robot demeanor when reaching for a higher register. Repetition on “The Mutiny” quickly annoys, but since it’s the last song on the album it squeaks by.

If listeners are already a fan of the sound, War Tapes is a fairly pleasant listen, but for those looking for something innovative just skip back to the originals.

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War Tapes EP dropped 09/16/08.
Listen to most of the EP here and download “Dreaming of You” here.