Ears Wide Open: I Make This Sound, the Breakups

[One in a series on new music by L.A. artists ...]

"Staring at Yourself," the second EP from L.A. seven-piece I Make This Sound, doesn't leave you much time for navel-gazing. Rich with vivid imagery and lush, playful arrangements, Jonathan Price and his piano-man voice lead you through all manner of intrigue and orchestral derring-do; sometimes it feel like the band is packing 10-minute epics into four minutes. Like on "One, Two, Three!" -- one moment you're seduced by a tinkling piano, the next you're bopping to girl-group backing vocals, and the next you're going 100 mph on a guitar riff. A nice ride.

||| Download: "The King and Queen."

On their "Eat Your Heart Out" EP, L.A. quintet the Breakups go easy on everything -- the jangly guitars, the twinkling keys, the harmonies. Easy-does-it, however, does not equal easy listening. The ebb and flow of the six-song effort and the wry nuances of numbers like "Tissue Sample" and "After the Fact" make this a nifty record that glances back at power pop's '70s heyday but reminds you more of the likes of Fountains of Wayne, Nada Surf and (vocally) Michael Penn.

||| Download: "After the Fact."

||| Live: I Make This Sound and the Breakups celebrate their EP releases tonight at the Echo, supported by Amateurs and Le Switch.

Photos: the Breakups by Denver Mark Bon, I Make This Sound by Rebecca Sanabria

Highlights for Wednesday, Feb. 13

The Weather Underground, with A For Attack and Free Moral Agents supporting, continues its residency at the Silverlake Lounge. .... Captain Automatic plays downtown at Bordello. ... Andre Williams and the Flash Express bring the party to Club NME at Spaceland. ... And Brian Wright & the Waco Tragedies and Ferraby Lionheart are on the bill at the Hotel Cafe.