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One I Love - Drug Cabin
One Face
Drug CabinDrug Cabin - One Face
LA’s Nathan Thelen released his debut EP as Drug Cabin earlier this year. Think Fruit Bats meets Akron/Family. All 6 tracks are on SoundCloud now, and they’re great: http://soundcloud.com/drug-cabin. Hat tip to Bob Moz for turning me on to these guys.
Forgive mistakes, I’m mobile.
One Face
Drug Cabin BeyondSlowI was first introduced to Drug Cabin last summer by my dear friend Didi. He bought their record (like, actual vinyl) at a random store on Fairfax because the album artwork looked just his style.
It turns out it was, and he listened to it for days endlessly. After lying on his floor in an altered state, I decided One Face was one of my favorite songs of all time.
Later we came to find out that the record player was on the wrong setting and was playing everything considerably slower than it was intended. I can’t listen to One Face the way I’m supposed to now… so I slowed it down. As many of you don’t know, I have a long awaited (by 3 of my friends) EP of remixes titled BeyondSlow that eventually after I chop this guy up some more it will probably be in there too.
One I Love
drug cabinCan’t stop listening to my friends band Drug Cabin. Their EP is available on iTunes. Get it, or get out! XO
Whatever Never
Drug CabinDrug Cabin - Whatever Never
DRUG CABIN ANNOUNCES STRING OF L.A. SHOWS IN SUPPORT OF EPONYMOUS DEBUT EP DUE JUNE 19
LOS ANGELES, CA, June 15, 2012 - Los Angeles-based Drug Cabin, the new project of Nathan Thelen of Pretty Girls Make Graves and Moonrats and Marcus Congleton of Ambulance LTD, will usher in their self-titled debut EP, out June 19 on 401K Music, with a string of hometown shows this month. The four-piece band will kick off the festivities with an in-store performance at Origami Vinyl tomorrow, Saturday, June 16 followed by a gig at Backside Echo Park on Thursday, June 21 where they will also premiere their video for “Whatever Never,” which was directed by Kevin Willis (Modest Mouse, Tool). (is this correct?) The following week they will support experimental electro-pop trio E.S.P. at their ongoing weekly residency at The Echo on Monday, June 25. Thelenand Congleton will be joined by Warpaint’s Stella Mozgawawa on drums and Brandon Owens on bass.
Drug Cabin first introduced listeners to their decidedly West Coast sound with the jaunty psych-pop of “Whatever Never,” which premiered on RCRDLBL last month and is available for free download. Filter just premiered a second track, “Barracuda,” which they dubbed “a summer jam.” The track can be downloaded for free by clicking here.
Drug Cabin’s first EP was created and recorded by Thelen at friend Josh Klinghoffer’s (Red Hot Chili Peppers) house. The six-song EP was produced by Thelen’s former Pretty Girls Make Graves bandmate Nick DeWitt (Liars) and it showcases both his ear for simple yet sublime arrangements and Thelen’s songwriting prowess and knack for melody. A mix of sun-dappled pop, woozy psychedelia, and Laurel Canyon folk, the EP radiates a laid back Southern California vibe.
Although not part of the debut, Marcus Congleton, is a vital part to the growth and evolution of Drug Cabin. A fellow transplant, Congleton met Thelen in their adopted hometown of Los Angeles and instantly connected musically. Thelen and Congleton are currently at work on a collection of harmony-laden songs featuring both of them on singing and songwriting duties.
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I found this band searching through new albums on Spotify. Reverby vocals drove through warbly guitars as echoes of woodblock etched stitched together the sounds of your parents piano plink with a proud bass that keeps it all in the step of something that feels easy like giving up all of your bitter thoughts and getting over it.
I hope Nathan and Aska finish their solo projects soon so they can get back into playing music with their real band. Moonrats never put out a full length album, but I have most of the 7inch records they put out and their first ep. I still listen to them at least once a week. Here’s a link to a live show recording: http://recordingla.blogspot.com/2010/04/moonrats-32910-spaceland-los-angeles-ca.html
DRUG CABIN'S SELF-TITLED DEBUT EP DUE JUNE 19 ON 401K MUSIC, LA-BASED BAND IS NEW PROJECT OF NATHAN THELEN (PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES/MOONRATS) & MARCUS CONGLETON (AMBULANCE LTD)
LOS ANGELES, CA, March 28, 2012 - A woozy mix of sun-warped pop, dreamy psychedelia, and melancholy folk, Drug Cabin’s eponymous debut EP will be released June 19 on 401K Music. The Los Angeles-based band is the new project of singer/guitarist Nathan Thelen, formerly of Pretty Girls Make Graves and Moonrats, and former Ambulance LTD frontman, Marcus Congleton.
Drug Cabin’s introductory EP was created and recorded by Thelen in the summer of 2010 with the help of former Graves bandmate Nick DeWitt (Liars). With DeWitt as producer, they set up shop at friend Josh Klinghoffer’s (Red Hot Chili Peppers) house to record a handful of songs Thelen had been piecing together. “I really just wanted to play music and record with my friends for fun,” Thelen says.
The result is a six-track EP rife with sunshiny melodies and interesting instrumentation that showcases Thelen’s songwriting prowess and DeWitt’s ear for simple yet sublime arrangements. Far from the angular indie rock of Pretty Girls Make Graves (in which Thelen played guitar) but not entirely dissimilar to the melodic songcraft of Moonrats (in which Thelen wrote, sang and played guitar), the music of Drug Cabin is a new direction for the former Seattleite and radiates a laid-back Southern California vibe.
Opener “Whatever Never” combines a jaunty phased guitar with bouncy bass as Thelen sings “I got a message from a new old friend/said love will never end/said it could only lend/Its weight to Earth” in his blissful timbre. As the song continues, harmonies weave in and out and a ’60s-esque guitar lick cuts through before jangly guitar pairs with synthesized strings to sneakily envelop you in sound. “Barracuda” is a trip under the sea as drums click, clang and bang alongside spacey organ, rumbling bass, a staccato rhythm and languid lead guitar. “On the Mountain” and “One I Love” strip things back to acoustic guitar, sparse piano and drums and let Thelen’s evocative lyrics and beautiful voice take center stage. ”One Face” is a masterful display of tension and release as the song repeatedly rises and falls, adding layers of instruments until it builds to a compelling climax. Drug Cabin’s simple melodies belie their sonic intricacies; upon closer listen there’s a lot more happening in each song than it first appears.
Although not part of the debut, Marcus Congleton, who found success fronting the N.Y. indie rock band Ambulance LTD, is a vital part to the growth and evolution of Drug Cabin. A fellow transplant, Congleton met Thelen in their adopted hometown of Los Angeles and instantly connected musically. In fact, Congleton played his first Drug Cabin show without having listened to any of the band’s recordings. After that he became a full time resident of the Drug Cabin. Thelen and Congleton are currently at work on a collection of songs featuring both of them on singing and songwriting duties. They have just solidified a live lineup and will be playing shows throughout LA in the coming weeks.
