kii arens
‘Hard rock’ and ‘Los Angeles’ are synonymous to me. My early love of rock didn’t come from an older sibling’s record collection, but from cable TV. And L.A. rock was ruling MTV in the mid-late ‘80s. Somehow alternative—or modern rock or grunge or whatever—ruined some of the mindless fun and eventually turned thoughtful posing into the new headbanging. Not to mention the subtext of misogyny and immaturity rampant in hard rock… but shit, now it’s 2008. We’ll have a black or female president soon and hard rock has been reclaimed as a good time. Jessie Deluxe and HDR belong to a reborn L.A. rock scene that just ROCKS. I personally believe the ineffable female touch in each forced the evolution. Jessie’s drinking anthems and speedy love songs have technical virtuosity and sing-along likeability that you’d have to be vegetative not to move to. HDR, on the other hand, bring an almost easy, breezy sound to just how tractor-trailer-heavy their songs are. Their flowing (and cranked through Sunns) guitar solos and chunky double-riff rhythms have to be heard loud. In fact, perhaps today, the toughest thing for hard rock to deal with is that a good portion of musical exposure comes out of miniature speakers. Drop your pretenses, go to a live show, and hear these bands properly cranked!

— Richard Seymour