DARKER MY LOVE
DARKER MY LOVE
The L.A.-based psych-rock quartet Darker My Love was formed by high school buddies Tim Presley (guitars, vocals) and Andy Granelli (drums) in 2001. Initially, it was a side project -- Presley and Granelli were playing in other punk-influenced bands (both played in the Nerve Agents together, Granelli also spent time with the Distillers) when they joined forces with bassist/vocalist Rob Barbato and guitarist Jared Everett, both transplants from Boston. Within the space of a series of excellent live gigs, though, all four players committed to nurturing what was to become a signature bright-but-brooding sound, and Darker My Love, as a tight unit with major potential, was born. After a string of opening dates for the Kills, the Warlocks, and Icarus Line, the band recorded a three-song EP released in early 2006; early praise called attention to Presley's melancholic vocals reminiscent of Robert Smith. A self-titled debut disc full of fuzz and trippy distortion followed later the same year on Dangerbird Records.
by Tammy La Gorce
FIRST COMMUNION AFTERPARTY
First Communion Afterparty's music belongs to a distinct family: psychedelic rock. It's true: there is no other honest way to describe it. The point is they belong. Their sound is built on psychedelic bands you've heard and some you haven't. There is nothing unfamiliar but there's a fresh personality behind it. With seven band members it would be easy to get tangled up in too many limbs, but that never happens. Each song is an artful balance of dual guitars, bass, keyboard, tambourines, drums, floor tom and vocals from all over.
