L.A. RECORD » we come from the bright side

VIDEO: 60 WATT KID “TAKE THE PAIN OUT OF YOUR CHEST”

Daiana Feuer — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:19:06 +0000

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hALO4bFOjtk

“Take The Pain Out Of Your Chest” is from 60 Watt Kid’s most recent album, We Come From The Bright Side. This tune’s a heavy one, inspired by the passing of Kevin Litrow’s mom, and when they play it live, Litrow usually convulses and throws himself into the audience’s arms (figuratively if not literally). The video’s not about his mom. Instead, it tells a story about an unhappy man with an unhappy family, who is suffocating in domesticity instead of rocking out with his band or surfing. It’s perhaps a depressing way to start your day, but maybe it will inspire you to unshackle yourself from weakness and jump in that cold water. It was directed by Matt Amato.

—Daiana Feuer

NEW VIDEO: 60 WATT KID'S "VIRTUAL PLASTIC SURGERY"

lar_import — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:54:56 +0000

60 Watt Kid – Virtual Plastic Surgery from JOSH on Vimeo.

60 Watt Kid shot the music video in their garage with a home-made green screen. It was put together by their friend Josh Delorimierone. The track is a short quarky noisy song called Virtual Plastic Surgery. Leave it to 60 Watt Kid to promote their new album with a video of its noisiest, most non-commercial song. A passerby just checked it out and said it sounded like dinosaur mating calls and pre-battle yelps.

60 Watt Kid have a bunch of shows coming up, too:

Nov 6
In-store Performance
7 pm / Free
Fingerprints Music
4612 E. 2nd St., Long Beach

Nov 10
We Come From The Bright Side record release show
with Best Coast, Gowns, Tearist, DJ Dan Collins
8:30 pm / $5
The Echo
1822 Sunset Blvd

Nov 11
with Pocahaunted, Blues Control, and Peter Kolovos
8 pm / $5 / All ages
Synchronicity Space
4306 Melrose Ave

Nov 13
In-store performance
7pm / Free
Origami Vinyl
1816 W Sunset Blvd

60 WATT KID: WE COME FROM THE BRIGHT SIDE

lar_import — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:05:31 +0000

Download: 60 Watt Kid – “2012″

(from We Come From the Bright Side out now on Absolutely Kosher Records, et al.)

A couple months back, Derek from 60 Watt Kid gave me the demo version of their upcoming album, with hand-written instructions that more or less implied “Don’t share this pre-mix, or we’ll slit your face!” After hearing the album months later, I can understand his desire for violent secrecy. This final mix is so good. If you’ve never heard 60 Watt Kid, We Come From the Bright Side will make you immediately fall in love with them. If you have heard them, We Come From the Bright Side will let you enjoy 60 Watt Kid on a new level, allowing bright sonic tendrils to clutch your inner eardrums tightly, like a slumbering bear clinging to a sappy pine cone. There’s a dynamic tension between singer Kevin’s spastic vocals (jumping from Chris Stamey to Nick Cave to Black Francis) and Derek’s pretty guitar licks: Kevin’s aggressive front-man-ism keeps the tunes from ever becoming too precious, and the solemn wonder of the melodies is too anthemic, wondrous, and spatial for Kevin’s belted lyrics to seem goofy, even at his most blunt. In fact, Kevin gets away with didacticism that some bands would be hard-pressed to attempt, but here lyrics about taking “the pain out of your chest” work in wondrous ways, like Bowie ’s “Rock and Roll Suicide,” but with less orchestration and more hand-spun layered beauty. There are very few bands as compelling as 60 Watt Kid, and there are very few albums that have come out this year that can compare to the aggressive beauty of We Come From the Bright Side. Put on headphones, play this album, and remember what it was like to hear something old and familiar from your past for the very first time.

-Dan Collins