In 2001 The Strokes changed the rock game up with their debut album Is This It which to this day remains one of my favorite albums of all time and was placed on the great majority of “decade’s best” lists that were released a couple years ago. It’s been almost eleven years since that, though, and rock has evolved and come and gone, and it’s becoming increasingly common to see bands get on stage with at least one synth.
It’s refreshing, then, even as much as I like an electronic tint to my music, to come across bands that sticks to the more traditional guitar, bass and drums combination to great results. One such band is LA Font, who, you guessed it, are actually from Los Angeles. The band is formed by singer/guitarist Danny Bobbe, guitarist Jon Perry, basis Greg Katz and drummer Harlow Rodriguez, four guys that believe that LA is “bleak, gritty and laden with traps” but at the same time is a place that “promises change to the courageous”.
Of the adjectives the band uses to describe the city one serves to partially describe their sound: gritty. Through the bands two releases to date, their self-released debut from 2010 “The American Leagues” and the “Sharks” 7″ the band put out on Sister City Records, the four-piece demonstrate an ability to write great rock songs that despite containing a fair number of hooks are still very rough around the edges, as rock should be. It’s good – nay, great – garage rock by a band that, inexplicably, remains unsigned.
“Fine Lines”, which opens up their first full-length might be the poppiest moment from the album, but it’s also one of its best. Fuzzed-out guitars and a groovy bass line (I’m always a fan of those) serve as the backdrop for Bobbe’s creaky vocals, which not only fit the song perfectly but are also placed very well in the mix. The title track from that album, “The American Leagues” follows, and manages to keep the energy, with great guitar riffs, fuzzy vocals and a much more prominent bass line.
On the “Sharks” 7″ the band put out last year they cleaned up their sound just a bit, but lost none of the charm. The guitars are a real standout on the A-side as the riffs carry the tune, and even provide two killer guitar solos after each chorus. It’s a frantic 3:24, but worth every second. The flip side is “Lipsmack”, possibly the band’s funkiest song to date. Again, the guitars are a real highlight, as the lead provides all-sorts of licks that keep the track alive. It’s also perhaps Bobbe’s most off-kilter vocal, which gives the track an energetic, live feel. I haven’t had the chance to see them live, but apparently his antics are “worth the cost of admission alone” (according to the L.A. Times, no less).
The 90′s are a period that serve as undeniable influence to the band. Like Yuck, a band whose debut placed high on our year-end list, the Southern California four-piece build upon the sounds first brought to the table by bands like Dinosaur Jr., Pavement or Built To Spill, while still being very much present day. And while they remain unquestionably less famous than the much buzzed about Yuck, LA Font really don’t have much to envy.
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