Midnight Movies, and other Monday marvels

Over the past several months, L.A.'s Midnight Movies have been doing a slow build toward the April 24 release of "Lion the Girl," their second album -- and first as a quartet. The shows don't seem to be just to build buzz; the players are growing into some new roles.

Gena Olivier, who played drums and sang when the band was a trio, now is out from behind the kit (except for the French-language cover of "Nights in White Satin," which has ended their recent sets). Bassist Ryan Wood and drummer Sandra Vu have joined the lineup, but Olivier, despite her gorgeous, often-chilling vocals, hasn't looked entirely comfortable fronting the foursome.

The album is one of those slow growers. Absent much in the way of immediately catchy melodies, it relies on Larry Schemel's guitar atmospherics and pulsing rhythms to frame Olivier's wailing. Fans of shoegaze and dreampop bands will hone in quickly on the sonic darkness; it might be a tough sell for others. Worth revisiting? Yes, both the album and the live show.

||| Midnight Movies' final local date before a national tour in April with Blonde Redhead is tonight at the Viper Room as part of Indie 103.1's Check One ... Two night.

||| Download: "Coral Den."

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Touts for Monday, March 26: Ex-Sneaker Pimp Chris Corner, performing as IAMX, rocked a sold-out Safari Sam's crowd last week, and he returns for another show tonight. ... Can it be that as of this afternoon the El-P show at the Troubadour was not sold out? ... Gym Class Heroes (with K-Os among the openers) perform at the House of Blues. ... And it's the last night of a lot of Monday residencies: Castledoor and Buffalo Roam play the Silverlake Lounge (where Hello Dragon opens); Berko bids adieu to Spaceland (where the U.K.'s the Hedrons also play); 8mm concludes its dates at the Detroit Bar; and the Airborne Toxic Event finishes up at the Echo (where the Western States Motel are among the bands playing).