CIGARETTE BUMS, COBALT CRANES, HENSHEL & ROTH, AND BUFFALO ELECTRIC ON FRIDAY DEC. 17TH AT THE STRANGE, 4316 MELROSE AVENUE, LOS ANGELES. 8:30PM/ $5/ ALL AGES.

Thee Vicars, Night Beats, Cobalt Cranes, Los Sweepers, Strangers Family Band at:

THE REDWOOD

MARCH 8

9 p.m.

$5

Download: Cobalt Cranes – “Freak Out”

(from the EP In Media Rez on Anticc Records)

Of the emergent local bands that dare tread music’s slippery, precipitous slopes, Cobalt Cranes are one of the few fit to be Sherpas for the rock and roll world. The front cover of their new EP In Media Rez features artwork of a car epically emitting psychedelic exhaust—and this trip starts mid-ride, not with a rag-tag group of beginners but with a mature band that has developed its talents with years of playing to L.A.’s bottom rung. Once the songs start playing, so does the journey.

This EP’s song styles and track order feel classical in form, ala Homer and Virgil, but trade bombast for the correct balance of grit and sheen.  Track one, “Freak Out,” starts us off well, living up to its name, the perfect manifestation of this pandemic band.  “Take You” begins with a tinge of ambient noise before launching into a minor key adventure with bright, polished harmonies.  “Messy” is a two minute bundle of fun full of distortion and Chuck Berry blues riffs, a full-scale war on the senses.  And finally, “Picture in the Snow” is both the descent into Hell and the deus ex machina that resolves this tale.  With Donovan (Drums) and Kate (Bass) supplying solid, pulsating grooves for Tim and Mateo to splatter colors of guitar tone over, Cobalt Cranes earn themselves a place in the garage pantheon.  Listen. Love.

-Steven Carrera

Kicking things off were Smell first-timers Peg Leg Love. Previously a two-piece, the band recently added a bass to their already solid line-up. The new player, Mindy, moved to town from Iowa two months ago, but by the sound of it, she’s always played in this band. I’d call the band “nothing but treble;” with the amp and guitar of frontman Ilir, the treble was up and the bass was down to produce an aggressive, twangy, surf style. Such is complemented by their drummer Travis, whose playing is reminiscent of Animal from the Muppets. After the show, Travis showed me his hands, which had popped calluses and were dripping blood on the snare—to which he commented “That’s how you know it was a good show.”

Next up were The Younger Lovers, which is the solo project of Brontez from Gravy Train on guitar and vocals, who described the sound as “2012.” Although the group is a solo endeavor, Brontez plays with his Oakland roommate Paul on bass and the two have a chemistry that works. In order to play in Los Angeles, The Younger Lovers recruited nineteen year old drummer Paul. Altogether the band lives up to their name with songs such as “Kiss Me on the Bus” that have a bubblegum, punk-ish, almost Ramones-esque sound. A fun comparison would be to listen to the songs “Hey Jody” and “Danny” off of Gravy Train’s latest release—which were written by Brontez and re-recorded with The Younger Lovers. The group also described their style as pop but their songs lacked hooks which prove the essence of the genre. Regardless, the band is very fun to listen to live or on record. The Younger Lovers have a vinyl and CD which feature the Newest Romantic LP and California Soul EP together off of Raw Sugar records.

As usual with Cobalt Cranes, their set was solid. In fact, some songs featured impressive breaks and time changes—proving the band was so tight, it could turn on a dime. Mid-set, in a moment of whimsy, Tim switched his guitar and bassist Kate took off her shoes. I guess she hadn’t seen the vermin in the room earlier. The sound was almost hypnotic as Kate and Tim harmonized their vocals while lead guitarist Mateo played licks that mimicked their vocals in a melodic and, at times, call and response way. The band plowed through their music flawlessly like a snow shovel in a Los Angeles August.

When fellow Smell regulars Bastidas went on, guitarist Henry customarily donned his woolen, tiger, luchador mask and poncho. For those who have never heard the band, they are chaos incarnate. Their set on Saturday night was one of their more experimental ones. They strayed from their hook-oriented songs and caught the bus to a place musicians are constantly trying to catch up to. Henry has a whole arsenal of effect pedals that can make his guitar shriek or squeal, but the great thing is, he doesn’t need them. Bassist Sonya and Henry used a processor to add warbles and waves of reverb over their vocals. Despite heavy bass from the Mexican bar adjacent to the Smell, the band was able to pull off their set—which Sonya described as refreshing because they hadn’t played the Smell since July.

Earlier in the night, many friends of Bastidas had heard that the band was taking a permanent hiatus. This word came from an unmentionable band member. As I helped the drummer Lee carry equipment in, I noticed the stool of his drum throne falling off its axis. Did this metaphor truly mean the end of the group? After talking to Henry, the band squashed the rumors. Yes, they are taking a time-out from shows—but only to focus on their new EP. The EP is set to be released on the band’s own Fantastica! record label. And even though the D.I.Y. group is taking a break from the spotlight, they are set to play the Smell showcase at Southwest by Southwest next year. Check them out November 21st at Silver Factory Studios because it may be the last time you can for a small while.

—Steven Carrer

I arrived at the L’Keg Gallery around 5PM on a hot and unusually humid Sunday in Los Angeles. The underground venue felt like a sauna and the stamp I received for admittance immediately melted into something resembling a black and purple bruise on my hand. One of the more popular bands to play was the Cobalt Cranes—their songs would start with a steady beat and blur into existence before fading out to the same beat. A girl I spotted wearing their t-shirt missed most of their short set but arrived near the end, waving a confused set of metal horns high and enjoying what little she saw. Maybe it was L’Keg finally turning on the air conditioning, but for me the best part of night was the last band XYX. Hailing from Mexico, the furious bass and drum duo absolutely killed—or they would have killed had it not just been me and maybe 15 people who were watching them. The diminutive drummer Mou worked his set like a pro, playing dynamic beats with incredible fills while singer/bassist Anhelo looped her rapid-fire vocals through a pedal. Her distorted bass lines gave the limited band a surprisingly full sound, which at times was as jazzy as it was punk. “He’s a machine,” a guy from the audience cheered. Even Anhelo’s garb—an oversized “Death to the Pixies” t-shirt and a pair of Everlast boxing boots—suggested XYX were equal parts pedigree and punch. They sounded chaotic but were always sharp. I smiled to see such a tight performance by musicians who were in tune with each other. “Gracias,” she said, and the night was over.

—Steven Martinez