Sofa City Sweetheart album review

Pop for all sensations.

It was somewhere between the third and fourth listen of Sofa City Sweetheart’s EP when I really realized how good this album is. Sure, Juan Lopez (Sofa City himself) may eerily sound almost exactly like Sean Lennon with a hint of Elliott Smith, but his music holds a melodic, almost mythical sound that takes more than one listen in order to get the full experience. The band is Lopez, with additional musicians for the EP: Melissa Piotrowski (cello), 
Jorge Huaman (guitar/vocals), 
Daniel Bonaparte (bass/vocals), 
Ryan Petersen (drums), and Jimmy Tran (drums). A notable aspect of Sofa City Sweetheart’s music is Lopez’s entrancing vocals. He is an amazing singer; so gentile and transcendent. His voice is sweet, and soothing, and brings his music to a whole new level. The first track, “Good News for Jackie”, mixes a jazz and pop sound that is a accurate introduction to the album. Random fact: it is written about Jackie Johnson, the weathercaster on KCAL-TV. “Good News for Jackie” and the second track, “Maria”, have similar sounds, yet the verses of “Maria” are obviously influenced by The Kinks’ “Shangri-La”. “Julia (We Never Wanted You)” is a slower track; even the lyrics are a bit down: “Julia we never wanted ya! / But deep inside we knew we were wrong! / And now we’re here to try again to make amends”. From here the album turns into a sort-of rock opera, with “Sunflowers, Being Part One of ‘The Blind Man and the Boy He Used to Be’” bleeding right into “The Magic Umbrella, Being Part Two of ‘The Blind Man and the Boy He Used To Be’”, two songs which tell a story and change beat and tune during the song. Sofa City Sweetheart is a must hear band for anyone who is a fan of Elliott Smith, The Kinks, Sean or John Lennon, or is ready to hear some outstanding and original music produced by Lopez.

Myspace.com/sofacitysweetheart

Album Review: Trevor Hall

Newcomer Trevor Hall burst into the music scene with his self titled album, uniquely mixing the right amounts of reggae, folk, pop-rock, and soul, creating a one-of-a-kind sound and intriguing listeners from any genre. The 22-year old south Carolina native now resides on a Hindu retreat in Laguna Beach, an obvious influence for his music. On tracks such as “Unity” and “The Lime Tree”, Hall sings about love and community; about forgetting the band and embracing one another. At times it seems as if Hall stretches his message over all thirteen tracks, and the music starts to sound similar on each track. Hall’s husky voice is a truly unique addition to his songs. He’s channeling his inner Bob Marley and mixing that with his inner Caleb Followill (of Kings of Leon). He collaborates with many artists on this album, including Colbie Caillat and Matishyahu. His music leans heavily on pop, but this album shows definite promise for talent and plenty of passion from this young songwriter.

Show Review: The Happy Hollows

On Tuesday, September 15^th, the LA-based band The Happy Hollows played an intimate 10-song set to a small crowd at the Gibson Showroom in Beverly Hills, Ca. The company asked the band to play a set in their performance room, with the hopes of promoting Gibson gear as well as the band’s new album, Spells, expected to be released in October. For such a small crowd and venue, the band certainly filed the room with as much energy as it would take to play a stadium. The set was tight and well rehearsed, and the band played most songs from Spells, introducing their new music to the eager audience. Sarah Negahdari, the energetic front woman, clearly steals the show with her experimental, shouted vocals and heavy-duty guitar shredding. In each song she claims a guitar solo, dropping to her knees or jumping around stage, bumping into bassist Charlie Mahoney, who is doing his fair share of head banging and body lunges. Chris Hernandez, the drummer, masters his primal drumbeats and centers the band’s sound, which is close to chaotic, yet prominent in rhythm. The trio brilliantly works together to put on a show that you can’t tear your eyes from, and their noise-pop, almost punk sounding music accompanies their unique performance.

Show Review: Cable Car

It’s a Grind Coffee House is packed to the brim with kids craning their necks to get a glimpse of Cable Car, the mellow acoustic Irvine-based band gracing the humble coffee shop with their calming and soothing music for the second weekend this month. Sameer Gadhia, lead guitar and vocals, and Payam Doostzadeh, the bassist, are also members of the popular Orange County band The Jakes. The two leave their indie-rock stardom and energetic performances at the door, and team up with Jason Burger on percussion (not present at this particular show) and Bret Leinen on guitar and backup vocals to create this completely acoustic, coffee-house band.

The coffee house is small, yet somehow holds a copious amount of flannel-clad high school hipsters who eagerly lean in closer to hear Gadhia croon his latest ballads, unplugged and microphone-less. The acoustics in the coffee house are surprisingly good; and anyone standing in the back near the restrooms or near the coffee grinders can hear the music just as well. The men of Cable Car sit perched upon plush armchairs facing a sea of wide-eyed girls (and boys), and carefully choose their next piece to present to the fervent crowd. Even the baristas get carried away by the music; Cable Car manages to capture the complete attention of every listener within hearing distance. Gadhia sings and plays his guitar effortlessly; his perfectly pitched voice and skilled guitar techniques proves his natural talent as a musician as well as a songwriter. He is shy, and from time to time cracks a dimpled smile to the audience that results in giggles and blushes. The rest of the time the band jokes and talks among themselves, deciding which song to play next.

At times the show could be slow, with much of the music holding the same mellow tone and the general energy in the coffee house staying low. For a two hour set, I was amazed to find that the band had enough material, but the show relied heavily on the members of the band, and their relationship with their adoring fans. People were encouraged to sing along to a ballad titled “Amber Fists”, the bands obvious hit. The show was a good experience, as the feel was welcoming and calm and the music relaxing and melodic.

Album Review: Spells

If you do not have the privilege of seeing the Happy Hollows live, Spells is the next best thing. Yes, it’s their debut album, but don’t let that fool you. They’re already notorious in the LA scene for their almost barbaric live shows. Sarah Negahdari’s wild woman persona fits in well with Chris Hernandez’s edgy, primal drumming and Charles Mahoney’s driving bass lines.

The fourteen-track album includes a few songs from their previous EPs, including “Monster Room and “A Man, A Plan, A Canal”. The difference between the old and new tracks is apparent, especially because the band’s influences are more obvious on their older tracks. The opening guitar lick to “A Man, A Plan, A Canal” could easily be mistaken for a track on a Sleater-Kinney album. However, newer tracks such as “Faces” prove that the band is growing into its own unique sound. Spells takes the unique qualities produced by each member of the band and ties them together to create a cohesive and developed sound; the drumming compliments the outlandish guitar solos and focuses on putting logic into their mad sound.

Negahdari’s guitar rips through the opening track “Faces.” This is the Happy Hollow’s call-to-arms, an introduction that sounds more like a mission statement for a band who has clearly discovered itself. As Negahdari sings: “Misunderstanding, I just figured out/You can’t escape what you carry around”, the backing vocals rise, elevating the chorus to new heights.

Other highlights include “High Wire.” Although the band has never used synths before this album, the keyboard intro finds a good home inside the Happy Hollows sound. As the song ends, the synths cleverly spiral into a haunting requiem-like outro. “Turtle and Hare”, a slower, darker track inspired by Sonic Youth circa Murray Street fuses Negahdari’s ghostly voice with her mysterious lyrics. Using water as a metaphor for recovering from a break-up, Negahdari skillfully molds a children’s fairytale into a mature introspection on human vulnerability. “Things are not what they appear to be,” the band seems to tell us. The album cover of Spells may feature a few harmless trees, but what’s inside the album is nothing close to harmless.