The thing I love about Ba Da Bing is that you never really know what you’re going to get, but you can always trust the fact that it will be 1) almost entirely unique, and 2) extremely good. Enter one of the label’s latest bands, Woom. They fit the facts, producing minimalist experimental folk pop tunes like “Quetzalcoatl’s Ship” on their mini LP, simply titled demo.

Remix albums are something I don’t often look forward to. They typically are not as innovative or unique as the original works attributed within. There is an exception to this trait, and it can be found in the LA-based noise-rock outfit HEALTH and their DISCO series. The band’s self-titled debut was packed with off-beat, hyped-up noise rock that, as the genre would hint, was often abrasive and eccentric. The first installment of DISCO followed suit, but with electronic beats that took the band from intensity in …

Sweater Girls are a new Los Angeles-based group and, according to Mike over at Happy Happy Birthday To Me, their debut 7″ single sold out solely based on word-of-mouth. Listening to the three songs tucked within, it’s easy to hear why — Sweater Girls produce outstanding indie pop music perfect for the HHBTM label, and perfect for everyone’s favorite musical consumption format… vinyl.
Sweater Girls isn’t an all-girl group, as the name might suggest (Joseph Teran is on lead guitar, backed by Allan Kingdom on bass), though they …

I was expecting something upbeat and poppy, simple but infectious. Hands, however, doesn’t quite fit that mold. “Hold” is upbeat and poppy, but the band slips in dreamy twists, tribal drums, and ethereal harmonies. At around the midpoint, the crew changes pace and adds an electronic-sounding beat and heavy keys. It’s easy to fall in love with songs like this, obscure yet endearing.

Seaspin is an L.A. based shoe gaze group with a very impressive style that invokes the spirit of both The Stone Roses and The Cranberries in a single 4 minutes. Frontwoman Jennifer Goodridge has a set of pipes that can make your ears bleed with delight. The title track from their latest release, Reverser EP, is as dreamy as it is passionate about something obviously very personal to Goodridge and her crew. This is a tale of love and loss set over dark and heavy barbiturate guitar …

The debut self-titled LP by Letting Up Despite Great Faults reminded me a lot of the early stuff by The Radio Dept. which ultimately landed the album a spot on my Top 50 of 2009. “Our Younger Noise” is one of the better tracks off the album and the band now gives it video treatment courtesy director Christopher Ewing. Ewing assists the band in creating a tale of fleeting romance and new youthful teen love. The video meshes well with the fuzzy electro-pop of Letting Up Despite Great …

When a press release includes the classic RIYL (i.e. read if you like), it’s often a hint of what’s to come. However, there are times when all you can do is put a dumbfounded look on your face and give it a good listen. Hannis Brown is one such artist. This Los Angeles-based composer boasts a RIYL that includes Tortoise, Dirty Projectors, and Charles Mingus. Amidst that company, you know you’re in for something weird. The question that arises is: Will it live up to …

LA’s Pepper Rabbit has two EPs under their belt, both released in 2009. The more recent of the two, Shakes, is more a single with three songs, and it includes the mysterious “Red Wine”. With an emphasis on piano and a snare drum, Pepper Rabbit mixes in sleepy, ethereal vocals. Add an atmospheric, spacey warble behind the vocals and minimal instrumentation and the effect is something of which you’d be familiar, had you imbibed two or three glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a pleasant drowsy feeling, …

Ariana Delawari‘s psychedelic folk is epic. Her voluble wail is filled with power and vibrato that’s rarely matched. The only voice that comes close to possessing the strength of Delawari’s is perhaps that of Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond). There’s a lot of passion behind “San Francisco” that keeps the song unquestionably fresh, and it’s a sound that populates her debut LP, Lion of Panjshir.

The name Letting Up Despite Great Faults stems from Blonde Redhead’s “Loved Despite Great Faults” off Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons. They often gets comparisons to The Postal Service, but I just don’t see it. Sure, it’s electronic pop at its best (a bit of a similarity) and there are occasionally some Tamborello-esque beats, but Letting Up Despite Great Faults isn’t nearly as clean nor does it possess those cut-and-dry vocals signature to Gibbard. The primary similarity is the band’s ability to create dreamy electronic indie pop …