Let’s Groove to the Sea Lions

For some unexplained reason the indie scene in Oxnard,California is an embarrassment of riches.  How good is it you ask?  It’s so good it has people in Los Angeles begging the bands to move down the coast to LA.  Southern California has never really been known as a hotbed of indie pop activity but with the Matinee label in Santa Barbara and now the burgeoning scene in Oxnard, things are quickly  changing.  At the center of the Oxnard scene is  Yay! a label that is devoutly DIY.  They only put out records on old school 7″ vinyl, no mp3’s, no cd’s and no 8-tracks!  Last year Yay! put out only two records one by the Tartans and one by Catwalk, but both were amazing and made my list of best singles of the year.

Coming out of the gates early and strong, Yay! are just about to release their first single of 2009.  It’s the debut slab of wax by another Oxnard band the Sea Lions and from what I’ve heard it will very likely appear on my 2009 list of singles. The Sea Lions have a sound that is part surf, part garage and part indiepop.  Adrian Pillado’s voice has deepness to it that reminds me a little of Calvin Johnson, but his phrasing sometimes makes me think of Kevin Seconds.  The music is revved up garage rock that jangles and twangs in all the right places.  It’s got elements of Heavenly, and the Clean, but also contemporaries the Crystal Stilts.  This single is so good, I find it hard to believe it’s their first!  You can listen to a couple songs from it, one is posted on Yay!’s MySpace and another is up on Yay!’s website, both will have you plunking down your hard earned cash for this slab of wax.

Have a listen to Good Feelings from the upcoming single here, or Beautiful Day over at Yay!’s MySpace.

Pre-order the single from Yay!