Growing with each release

Music Row
By Brian Rademaekers

Since 2000, California’s Earlimart has been putting out well-received albums that fall somewhere within the spectrum of pop music.
The band’s first recorded foray came with the double release of Filthy Doorways and Kingdom of Champions in 2000. Those works contained a raw post-punk energy conveyed through jerky, experimental structures. It was a sound that drew early fans at the start of the decade and summoned comparisons to bands like the Pixies.
These days, those identifiers would fall flat when held up to Earlimart’s 2008 album, Hymn and Her, which dropped in during the first week of July.
Far from the Sonic Youth kind of vigor that marked their early work, Earlimart’s recent albums have displayed a penchant for lo-fi chamber pop, with a slower, more atmospheric feel. Still, there is plenty of bravado and pomp, but more in the vein of Elliot Smith blended with Sparklehorse. Think lush pianos and strings rather than chugging electric guitar and bawdy rock.
But whether it is a product of maturity or simply a desire to explore more varied sonic landscapes, Earlimart has made the transition with a sense of grace and aplomb that makes listening to their guitar-rich and lyrical albums a pleasure.
The constant creative force behind Earlimart — the band is named after a town on the outskirts of Los Angeles — is Aaron Espinoza. As was the case with their 2007 release, Mentor Tormentor, we find the band scaled down to the sublime duo of Espinoza and Ariana Murray on Hymn and Her.
With a smoldering voice that pulls out the melancholy aspects of Espinoza’s songwriting, while also giving equal amounts of beauty and introspection to the lighter moments, Murray has earned her place in Earlimart.
In contrast to previous releases, Hymn and Her came quickly on the heels of Mentor Tormentor, an album that took some three leisurely years to record.
Perhaps the result of a certain burst of creativity or a healthy connection between Espinoza and Murray, the back-to-back full-length albums are a healthy extension of the band’s songwriting and style.
The changeover from their earlier, coarser work started with the 2003 EP and was cemented by the time they released the full-length Everyone Down Here. On that release, the band jumped from post punk to power pop, paying homage to ’90s bands like Pavement and Yo La Tengo.
Joining them at Johnny Brenda’s on Friday is Sunshine Recorder, a Philly band that just sprouted during the spring. Like Earlimart, though, Sunshine Recorder is just a name given to the latest project of Cobbs member Chris Coello.
Coello, who plays drums for the Cobbs, started Sunshine Recorder as a side project, and takes on the lead guitar along with chief songwriting duties.
As with the Cobbs, Sunshine Recorder has plenty of psych intonations, and Coello even goes as far as to bring on Cobbs’ front men Paul and Ryan Cobb for his live shows.
Still, Sunshine Recorder takes things a bit further, pushing his sound in a more experimental realm with lush ambience, rhythmic chanting and pleasantly blurry guitar work.
While an official album is still in the works, Sunshine Recorder has developed a nice collection of songs, and their live shows have proved to be memorable, highlighted in particular by passionate delivery.
They will make for a nice pairing with Earlimart, making Friday a promising indie rock showcase at Johnny Brenda’s.
Also look for the weird, folky rock of J Laughlin of Philly’s Like a Fox at the early show. ••

Check it out . . .

Who: Earlimart and Sunshine Recorder.
What: An established West Coast indie act playing with a rising Philly band,
Where: Johnny Brenda’s, Frankford and Girard avenues.
When: Friday, Aug. 1, at 8 p.m. Tickets, $10.