Paper Zoo | "Paper Zoo"

It's not every day you hear the words "self-titled track from their self-titled EP," but, alas, today's one of those days. Just days after having finished a long string of dates with Roger freaking Daltrey, Linda Perry-mentored and local psych rockers Paper Zoo aren't taking a day off. Check them out this Wednesday night at the Viper Room where they'll be showcasing new material for locals who haven't had a chance to see their live set yet.

Kissing Cousins | "Don't Look Back"
Directed by Alexis Martin Woodall

This haunting bit of footage is all fitting to an even more haunting group like Kissing Cousins. Pick up their latest release Pillar of Salt, which includes the single "Don't Look Back" and production by Deli LA favorite Richard Swift.

Langhorne Slim sings Pavement songs in the shower. I learned this while drinking Yuengling with him at a Holiday Inn Express a few hours before his sold-out show at The Bell House in Brooklyn. - Read Ryan Henriquez's interview with the man here.

Good luck trying to pin Big Whup's sound down to a scene; we ended up sounding like Gene Shalit if he overdosed on Radio Free Silver Lake. ("It's as if Win Butler teamed up with Prince's backup vocalists, and the Talking Heads came over to their lockout and said, 'Let's have some ear sex or something.' ") The group, made up of borrowed members from local bands like Pizza! and Morgan and Her Organs, are as grassroots and who-gives-a-fuck as you can get, so cheek--I mean, check them out at their Echo Curio set this Friday.  Details next to the naked bod below.

Crash Kings have a favorable identity crisis. The rock trio's El Rey set last Friday as support for Rooney opened with their single "Mountain Man," a heavy, blues rock piece uncommon in local sounds.  But the southern grit seemed to end there.  What followed were high voltage piano-based big beat songs charged with loud, confident and tasteful pop anthems.  Best off, their power pop isn't precocious.  Aside from proving themselves multifaceted, Crash Kings exhibited an unusually high energy from each member's trying to topple each other in how severely they could beat the shit out of their instruments. A battle truly worth witnessing. -Hugo Gomez