It worked on me. Dangerbird Records (home to Silversun Pickups, Peter Walker and The One AM Radio) recently revamped their website and scooted Darker My Love into the studio to begin work on a new record. They thought giving away the last Darker My Love record might interest a few people and send them sniffing around the new site. I’m happy to help in this effort. Darker My Love first caught my ear by naming their band after a rare T.S.O.L. song and kept me listening by resurrecting L.A.’s Paisley Underground sound. They play a tougher and denser version of Rain Parade’s ’80s psychedelia. It’s Summer of Love 3.0.
Peter Walker
Mr. Walker’s connected. For his first album he tapped REM’s drummer, Beck’s bassist and Wilco’s guitarist/keyboardist. Then he caught the attention of Earlimart’s Aaron Espinoza and Grandaddy’s Jim Fairchild. The three holed themselves up in Elliott Smith’s studio to record Young Gravity. Peter Walker sure has a lot to live up to and really it’s unfair of me to name-drop so liberally. I’m positive Walker wants his music to speak for itself. So I’ll let it do just that. Ask me though, and I’ll tell you he makes good use of his friends.
Silversun Pickups
I was lucky enough to come across Silversun Pickups’ self-released EP last year and was immediately smitten with the band’s relaxed take on rock ‘n’ roll’s melancholic side, and how, as they put it “get loud, get quiet, get ugly, get pretty.” I’m also lucky Joe didn’t beat me to this band, like he did with fellow shipmates, Earlimart.