Phoenix and the Turtle plays to a new scene

This might sound like another of those warm-and-fuzzy posts written in the haze of last night's music, but the second installment of Now Blog This on Thursday at the Scene turned out to be, for me, what an ideal club outing is supposed to be. You see a good set or two or three from known quantities, plus you hear something that's completely new and different.

The night (curated by four L.A. bloggers, including this one) delivered the gritty, horn-infused indie rock of Le Switch; the lovingly fractured, ghost-inspired pop of the Deadly Syndrome; and the dense, soaring anthems of Aushua. All were familiar to me beforehand.

But not Phoenix and the Turtle, who arrived seemingly out of nowhere to start the night. Well, not out of nowhere. LA Underground invited the band to make the trip in from Yucaipa, and I don't know what the music scene is like in Yucaipa, but this quartet has got to be the best indie rock band out there. Their proggy compositions stopped and started, swelled and receded, purred and thundered, as if by magic, with Valerie Curtis' work on the violin and keyboards and Cahn Curtis' array of guitar textures giving the music a very cinematic feel. Overall, it was a set that rewarded early arrivals.

Until next time.

Photos: Top, Cahn Curtis, Valerie Curtis and Bill Barrington of Phoenix and the Turtle; inset, Aaron Kyle of Le Switch; above, Nathan Gammill and Phil Neujahr of Aushua; below, the Deadly Syndrome's setlist. By Kevin Bronson / LAT.

Comments

[Viet]

This show was, indeed, one of the best shows I've been to in a while. Phoenix and the Turtle are an amazingly talented group of individuals whose exposure in LA is long overdue.

[Nick Bahula]

Thanks for posting this. Phoenix and the Turtle are an amazing band.

[Mary Valiakas]

Finally! The Phoenix rises! One to keep an eye on