Cobalt Cranes, Nightdogs, Michi Kusa, WVFRMS

Cobalt Cranes began in an apartment in Los Angeles when Tim Foley and Kate Betuel started making bedroom recordings. Rooted in 60's garage rock and 90's grunge, Tim and Kate recorded their first EP In Media Rez and began assembling a live band.

They met guitarist Henry at LA underground venue The Smell, and hard-hitting drummer Brett after overhearing him play at an Echo Park rehearsal space. The band released their debut album Head In The Clouds in 2013 on the Texas-based Dallas Distortion Music label, and quickly caught the attention of LA Record, LA Weekly, The Fader and more.

Cobalt Cranes spent much of 2013 and early 2014 on tour, and began writing new songs in small motels and roadside diners along the way. Their new songs blend vintage California sounds with grungier, raw elements. They just finished recording their new album Days in the Sun with LA underground legend Joel Jerome (Cherry Glazerr, La Sera), and call their new sound "California Grunge". The band is releasing Days in the Sun on Echo Park's rising label Lolipop Records, which has quickly established itself as the hub of the new LA scene. Look for Days in the Sun on cassette via Lolipop Records August 5th.

Brooklyn's Nightdogs (@nightdogs) are a very exciting find. Though they recently released their debut album and seem to be quite new, the music they produce lacks any semblance of amateur songwriting or youthful insecurity. They have a definite chemistry and are already masters of disguising classic pop in a lo-fi sound (check the "Be My Baby" beat on "Floats").
Though I hate resorting to comparisons, the band has an incredible similarity to The Walkmen, both in their instrumental and vocal sound. This likeness is not at all, however, in a derivative way. It stems from both bands sounding like the Manhattan Skyline at night, reminding me of adventures that take place at all hours throughout the city.
"Lover's Lane" exemplifies their pop-historian style with its subtle horns, ringing bells and chiming, ringing guitar tones. "Mary's Moon" complete with a nice, subtly funky backbeat and bass-line, is another old-school gorgeous pop-song. When I heard the achingly pretty "The Whispers", I was reminded of how a friend described the best songs on Pet Sounds — "Lovely enough that it actually hurts." Providing diversity and depth to the release, "Miseltoe" is more rock-driven and demonstrates the group's ability to alter their sound from song to song.
More than just a new group releasing "promising" music, Nightdogs are providing a refreshing change of pace and producing impressive material worthy of immediate attention.

Michi Kusa began as a solo recording project for vocalist Ryne Ziemba in order to do something creative during bouts of post-breakup insomnia. The band's name is a Japanese phrase that came about from a mushroom-fueled vision and roughly translates to "loitering on the way" in English. The debut album We Was Here initially began as an album of hip-hop instrumentals, but unexpectedly evolved into Ryne's first attempt at writing songs with vocals. The result is an album of nine sweet gems of indie pop.
Over the last year, Michi Kusa grew to a three-piece and is now currently a five-piece band consisting of Ryne Ziemba doing lead vocals and synths; Ai Isshiki on piano/synths and backup vocals; Nate Heller on guitar and backup vocals; Josh Riepe on drums and a rotating bass-synth player. They have already begun taking the Brooklyn music scene by storm playing to packed smaller venues. Michi Kusa's live show tries to take listeners on a journey of loitering toward musical excellence, even occasionally enticing the bartenders working at the venues to leave their posts to go watch the band.