New Music Alert: Lucy & La Mer's "Better Than I Was Before"

A favorite of mine, Lucy & La Mer has a new song out called "Better Than I Was Before." The opening lyrics key you in to the theme of the song, "I could've made it work. But tell me what's the worth. When your foot's in the door." And the title of the song gives you a strong indication of the outcome. A song about a relationship that doesn't go in the direction one would have thought; however, you realize that you're better off moving on. 

The song has the band's pop-folk smoothness that provides that glimmer of joy through the disappointments of a break-up and the eventually realization of self-improvement. Watch the video and  you get to catch Lucy doing some jump roping and boxing.

Photo taken at The Echo

Quarantine Online Sets: Version 23

Friday night, June 19th, was the creative Los Angeleno sets. I say creative, because as I've mentioned before, artists pre-record their 8 to 15 minute sets. Opening the night was NIGHTJACKET doing a full band set. What beautiful sounds from this 5 member band. I need to catch a live set. It looked like two members of the bands were playing at their own homes while three were playing in a studio. The keyboardist was wearing a mask while the singer and guitarist weren't, which half makes me think they live together? Just well thought out music. 

Nightjacket

Jeremiah Chiu had the synths going that always has me thinking San Francisco 2013. Yet, there was a much more soothing use of the synths. A transformation of that San Francisco binary type use of the synths. He used a background video of spider webs, a home, frying of food to accentuate his sound. At the end, he wrote "thx" on his phone screen.

Jeremiah Chiu

Taleen Kali played a solo set from a roof top building. For a brief moment, one could hear a motorcycle driving down in the street below. And the wind came whipping through every so often, sending her hair flowing. 

Taleen Kali

Lucy & La Mer is one of my favorite bands in Los Angeles. To me, she's shifted her sound from folk-pop to a more straight pop sound. Yet, for this set, she shifted her set back to that original folk-pop sound that had me fall in love with her music. She opened the set with my favorite, "Honey, Put Your Weapons Down," which talks about a painful moment in a relationship.

Lucy & La Mer

Closing out the night was Yung Student Loans, which ran into an unfortunate situation with Facebook (the corporation). This is the second time I've noticed something like this happen in this online world. The first time was on Instagram with Molly Moore who was cut off from Instagram Live for doing a Brittney Spears cover. This time, for Yung Student Loans, the vocals were just silenced. From what I read on Facebook, Facebook told Los Angeleno that they "didn't have the rights to post" the video. Life in the Internet world.

Yung Student Loans

The Echo: Lucy and La Mer with WASI and Polartropica

It was more than a few months since the last time I caught Lucy & La Mer. And then, when I did catch the band last, it was just for a couple songs during Echo Park Rising (I was running around shooting for Buzzbands). When I got invited to catch Love is Gay event at The Echo, I jumped at the opportunity. The band opened up with a dance song and I was thinking, "I wonder if they're totally switching their sound around over the last 6 months?" Nope, after that energizer first song, they hit the indie pop tunes I so love this band for.

Lucy & La Mer

Opening the night was WASI, which pumped up the crowd with some power kicks. Bands improve over time and this band has really improved since the last time I caught them. I was super impressed with their set.

WASI

Polartropica puts a touch of Asian traditional music into her pop sounds. And then there's her stage show. You can always count on Polartropica to put on a good show. She opened up the show in what I interpreted as her tribute to Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus painting as she sang from a pink inflatable plastic object that reminded me of a giant scallop shell. Of course, art is up to interpretation, because an individual next to me turned to her friend and said, "Is that a vagina?"

Polartropica

Top 15 Los Angeles New Bands (new to me, but maybe not new to you) of 2017

I've done Top 10 lists for a number of years, but 2017 was so much fun, I couldn't limit my list to just 10 bands. Over the past couple weeks different band names kept popping up in my mind. So for 2017, I'm expanding my list to Top 15.

15: Pipe Dreams

August: So Jana Ghost was one of my first Instagram followers. I soon noticed that she was in a band called Pipe Dreams. It took around a year, but I finally caught her band at Echo Park Rising. LoFi with a who cares attitude.

Pipe Dreams at Harvard & Stone

14: Warbly Jets

January: They did the first residency night at The Satellite for 2017. I went twice. I seldom go to see a residency twice. The venue was packed. The music. The crowd. I felt swept away.

Warbly Jets at The Satellite

13: Goon

July: I first saw Goon randomly when heading out to catch a prior year Top Ten selection: Alyeska. Go see a favorite and find another favorite.

Goon at The Echo

12: Lucy & La Mer

August: My first interaction with the band wasn't because I saw them live. My first interaction was due to mistaken identity. Well, I decided to check out the band. This band can be rather deceptive. Lyrics tinged with painful memories against a backdrop of catchy melodies.

Lucy & La Mer at Chinatown Summer Nights

11: Ever So Android

March: I first saw them at The Hi Hat. They were the last band up. There were just a handful of us still around. I honestly was planning on sticking around for just a couple songs and then take off. They started to play and I fell in love. They know how to work a stage.

Ever So Android at The Hi Hat

10: Gypsum

October: Immediate reaction was: they sound like Local Natives!

Gypsum at The Echo

9: Zealyn

April: I first saw Zealyn at Broke LA. She has the most awe inspiring vocals and she moves so quickly that my camera has a hard time capturing her without blurs. By far my favorite idol.

Zealyn at Hotel Cafe

8: Trapdoor Social

September: You'll want to head out into nature and dance. Plus, this band puts on an awesome festival run totally by solar power.

Trapdoor Social at the Sunstock Solar Festival

7: Lily Waters

October: Combine Lauren Ruth Ward and LP together and you have Lily Waters.

Lily Waters at The Smell

6: Lauren Ruth Ward

March: Went to Harvard & Stone on a random night. Came across Lauren Ruth Ward. Addicted since that time. I'm sure many others out there would agree.

Lauren Ruth Ward at Harvard & Stone

5: Francisca Valenzuela

September: As is my norm every year, I head out to Chinatown Summer Nights. On this particular day, it was really hot and I was thinking of just going there later in the evening. But I changed my mind and went out early. I'm so happy I did. Her songs were in Spanish and I don't speak Spanish, but it didn't matter. I was listening to wonder.

Francisca Valenzuela at Chinatown Summer Nights

4: JaneLane

August: I first saw JaneLane at Echo Park Rising. Romantic disappointments against a soft touch of dreamy music. Now why wouldn't you love that?

JaneLane at The Smell

3: Holy Wars

June: My history with Holy Wars actually goes back a few years when there was a band called Sad Robot. I count this as a re-incarnation into a totally new sound and band. Some may find their music too emotionally painful. I find it to be emotionally cathartic.

Holy Wars at Harvard & Stone

2: Kid Wave/Lea Emmery

April: I had the opportunity to interview Kid Wave and got into a "debate" about what was the band's best song. She said "Everything Changes." I said "Wonderlust." I'm not going to lie: this is one of the few times I've seen a local Los Angeles band for the first time and known most of their songs beforehand. In my pre-interview research, I clicked on one song and then couldn't stop listening.

Kid Wave at Broke LA

1: Potty Mouth

January: 2017 started off with a big bang for me in terms of the Los Angeles music scene. And one of the main reasons is that I came across Potty Mouth. During their set, I was just blown away. I didn't want the music to end. I'm listing them #1 for a reason: for me, my go to Los Angeles band to listen to online is Potty Mouth.

Potty Mouth at The Hi Hat

Hope you've enjoyed this list. I have to say that this year was one of my favorite ever in terms of finding new bands. Ranks right up with those years where I first came across bands like Eastern Conference Champions, Family of the Year, Grouplove, and Local Natives.

Quick Hit Band Interview: Lucy and La Mer

Lucy & La Mer at Chinatown Summer Nights

Q&A time with the band. Hope you enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? It's a mix of folk and pop.

What is your favorite Lucy & La Mer lyric and what about it makes it so special? “There's something 'bout that da-da-da-da-da on the sidewalk" from Rainy Days. It's fun to sing and I wrote it while I was stuck in traffic, listening to the rain hit my car.