Natural Disasters - "Last Night in LA" record review

Tonight (Wednesday) The Natural Disasters will release the first local "spring time record" of 2008. Put on your shorts, fire-up the grill, and grab a case of PBR before you buy Last Night in LA, because even with its personal and sometimes dark lyrics, the album's overall sound has outdoor fun times written all over it.

The twosome, consisting of Matt Eckel on vox / guitar and Brian Demski on drums, have carved their niche in part by playing with the Pehrspace / Scene Bar crowd. Consider that, with the fact that Eckel hails from Philly and Demski from Chi-Town, and you can formulate in your head a pretty good idea of what you're going to get from the 21-track, 50 minute record: honest and unpretentious, straight-forward, emotionally-driven blues rock -- unhinged and unabashed. It's sung from the heart, but played for thrills from the gut.

The Natural Disasters name Bob Dylan, The Clash, and The Who as their influences, though I personally would cite The Rolling Stones as a better touchstone for those unfamiliar with their sound. There's a punk presence too, mostly in the drumming and general swagger of the record. ("A funny thing happened on the way to maturity / I was wearing my Che Guevara t-shirt and got searched by airport security," Eckel laments with a curled lip on one of the stand-out tracks, "House Party")

Texturally and tonally, the album is extremely stripped-down. It brings to mind 60's garage rock recording with a 2000's knowledge base. Only one song on the entire album features any effects pedals and there is no overdubbing... but the record is still clear-sounding, like something made today. It's a stark (and refreshing) contrast to the crunch, saw, and synth of most Echo Park / Silverlake bands.

Recorded incognito at The Autry Museum and the Little Tokyo Bed and Breakfast, there is a real sense of urgency to Last Night in LA. You should keep a handkerchief near your speakers, because sweat, spit, and other indeterminate bodily fluids will begin to seep-out a few tracks in; the atmosphere is there despite the lack of effects and fancy recording techniques. Chalk it up to sincere musicianship.

Eckel said to me in an e-mail "I'm of the mind that lyrics are absolutely vital to the life of a song -- not merely a vessel for the melody," and that's apparent on the first listen. Both the song composition and the album's recording style put the lyrics front-and-center. There's nothing particularly mysterious or cryptic about Eckel's writing (think less Silversun Pickups and more Social Distortion), but that just adds to the credibility of the record. The Natural Disasters aren't trying to impress anyone with their music and, for the most part, the tunes speak for themselves.

The the topics The Natural Disasters delve into are as universal as war and peace: drunken late-night stumblings, confounding women, and a general sense of waiting for one's time to come. But mostly, the record is about confounding women. "Silverlake Girls" is an exceptional version of the "you silly girl, one day you'll understand" anthem and expertly conveys age-old frustrations with wayward members of the opposite sex a la The Descendents' classic "Bikeage".

The album-opener "Something New" more or less declares the entire record's thesis statement in a punkish track with jangly guitars and strained vocals that bring to mind The Stiff Little Fingers. Other stand-outs on Last Night in LA include "Sarah Said," the war-reflective "Somebody's Son," and the bluesy "Settle Down."

Throughout Last Night in LA is a contradiction that many local 20 and 30s-somethings will identify with: the same album that seems almost obsessed with criticizing the Silverlake scene's lack of authenticity is also rife with Los Angeles references and adoration for the city. Last Night in LA is practically a rock n' roll Where's Waldo? for the LA hipster. (Fortunately, the inevitable shout-out to Charles Bukowski is saved until the titular track, towards the end of the album.)

More than anything, this is a record for the happy-go-lucky (but quietly despaired) Los Angeles transplant. Perhaps that fact endears it to me more than any other aspect of the album.

Last Night in LA is in no way ground breaking and 50 minutes is a bit much for a band that self-imposes a very limited sonic range. 35 minutes of the best stuff that leaves you wanting more might have been a smarter move.

But this isn't the kind of rock and roll that you listen to alone at night in search of sublime inspiration. This is the sort of thing you listen to in the car on the highway, or at a pool party in the middle of the afternoon. The best moments on the best tracks will elevate themselves above whatever else it is you're doing at the time, and the rest of the record will be more than serviceable.

I really like the album. I've had it for about a month and it still gets a few plays a week, usually on the weekend or the morning drive to work. The best songs on it have legs. But you know, The Natural Disasters view live performance as the only authentic way to hear their music...

You can see The Natural Disasters and buy Last Night in LA TONIGHT at The Scene Bar, which I believe will be debuting a renovated stage layout. The Squaregirls (everyone's secret crushes!) are putting on a stellar lineup that will also feature performances / record debuts for Downtown / Union and CGT favorites The Henry Clay People. Get there early (9pm) for free tacos and the opening act. Bring cash for the new releases. I'll be there, so please say hello!



AND THE CLASSICAL GEEK THEATRE GALAGA CHALLENGE WILL BE IN EFFECT. (Bring your quarters and a written statement to the loved ones who will mourn your demise.)