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Weird Dreams - Choreography (album)

Crocodiles - Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9) 7”

The Hairs - I’ve Been Working Out 7”

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Veronica Falls - My Heart Beats 7”

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Gig Review

La Sera/ Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards
London, Lexington

Article written by Ged M - Feb 25, 2011

I understood Katy ‘Kickball’ Goodman was from hardass New Jersey but tonight she’s full of an easy Californian charm as she introduces her band: “we’re La Sera, from Los Angeles”. It’s the starting point for a good-natured show, with Katy a perfect frontwoman, displaying funny between-song banter and impeccable manners. The songs on the album are generally floaty and atmospheric and it takes a little while to acquire the taste but, in their live incarnation as played by a four-piece band, they have immediate impact. They’re much louder and harder, without losing their pop base, and the peppery treatment gives these songs a more satisfying edge, especially songs like ‘Devils Hearts Grow Gold’ (just released as a single) and the crunchy cover of ‘Dedicated To The One I Love’. La Sera are a lot more than the slightly dismissive “Vivian Girls side project” tag implies, and this is a great gig, although short. That shouldn’t be a surprise though, given that the album is 26 minutes long and even with a b-side and a new song they only just break the half-hour barrier, but it leaves a slight sense of anticlimax when what preceded it was actually pretty special.

La Sera are supported by Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards, in a three piece form, making their sound even more stripped down than usual. I’ve noticed that the Luminaire audience has gravitated to the Lexington so that people give bands the proper respect; there’s a cathedral-like hush as the Coastguards play, making the sound of singly plucked strings reverberate like gunshots around the room and the fuller sound of Horse’s pedal steel has the effect of an orchestra when it comes in. And of course it’s perfect for the heartbroken ache of the Michaelson voice. The whole night is fairly short (a little over an hour of live music in total) but very satisfying – you don’t always need a Springsteen-length show to come away reeling at the fine sounds still echoing in your cerebral cortex.

Links:
http://www.myspace.com/danmichaelsonandthecoastguards
http://www.myspace.com/iamkatygoodman