YOUTH LAGOON
Two weeks ago, Trevor Powers came through L.A. on the second night of his cross-country tour in support of his band Youth Lagoon, playing to a sold-out crowd at The Echo in Echo Park. Before the show, Trevor walked down two storefronts on Sunset Blvd. and into Origami Vinyl to play a short set of songs in front of a decidedly smaller (yet-still-crazy-packed) house.
His debut album The Year in Hibernation landed on Pitchfork’s “Best New Music” and we can easily hear why. Described by Trevor as an outlet for fears and emotions he couldn’t otherwise express, Youth Lagoon’s first record is an at-times haunting, always gorgeous collection of tracks.
There was some question among those of us filming as to what his voice would sound like without the reverb and lo-fi production found on the record. Any doubts were completely smashed by what turned to be one of the most searing performances we’ve seen in the loft. Trevor’s got pipes, yo. Just saying.
It seems like the Santa Barbara quintet Gardens & Villa came out of nowhere to give us one of the best debut LPs of the summer, filled top-to-bottom with self-contained soundtracks to fry, frolic and fritter away under the sun to. Their self-titled release makes us feel like kids again, with the requisite injection of enthusiasm and uncertainty that go hand-in-hand.
They came into Origami shortly after the release of their new album and surprised the crowd with a stripped-down set. It seemed like they took their LP, dripped some honey on it and let it bake in the sun for a couple hours. Chris Lynch commanded the room with his gliding vocals, imbuing hints of both optimism and pained regret with each verse.
A couple dozen faithful fans were waiting before the band went on. The crowd grew as the set progressed, with curious pedestrians filing into the store to exhaust what little standing room was left and to snag the last copies of the G&V LP once they realized "what was up."
We are proud…
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