Sweethead Has Arrived, Fashionably

While a faction of PBR-chugging teens with eyeliner and neon shirts may be convinced Los Angeles belongs to them these days, I often find myself wondering if there was ever anyone else willing to put up much of a fight for Silverlake or Downtown anyway.

Say what you want about washed up soldiers of the old guard straggling through the Rainbow here and there, but the city’s richest natural resources are still found in West Hollywood, where plenty of classier acts with experience and mettle continue to guard their claim to the midnight hour slot.

And that’s where you might catch Sweethead, stepping out of a Cadillac, well dressed with a Jack & Coke in hand. The band is fronted by the bona-fide vixen Serrina Sims, and driven by Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen.

I hate to be a regionalist and come at this like it’s a Los Angeles thing you wouldn’t understand, but sometimes you just can’t avoid it; Sweethead is an LA band, through and through. Their sound is so unmistakably Los Angeles, I can’t help but talk about it as if it’s the band’s rhythm section. No disrespect intended, of course, to the very able hands of Norm Block and Eddie Nappi. While both are most widely known for their work with the Mark Lanegan band, we loved the Handsome album that Nappi was a part of, and we’ve been keeping tabs on him for years now, through his work with Troy’s other band Enemy.

And of course we’ve been following Sweethead for awhile as well, first mentioning them on Antiquiet when Serrina made an appearance at the Natasha Shneider Benefit show last year. Later we suffered through Buddyhead’s Holiday “Ho-Ho-Hodeo” for one of Sweethead’s first public performances, a highlight of the otherwise excruciating event, as brief as it was.

Last week, Sweethead finally released a debut EP, entitled The Great Disruptors. A full length album is slated for September 21st.

The EP opens with the title track, a slithering bass-driven cut. It’s single-worthy, even radio friendly. There are a lot of tricks and treats to be found in the mix; subtle little squeals and tweaks, but it’s not quite overproduced. It’s an extremely catchy song, one that’s been stuck in my head for a few days now.

While the title track and Arcane Arcade both inspire some excitement for the forthcoming full-length, Hardspun isn’t as compelling as either. Traumatized And Dumb is a decadent, indulgent glam-rock track… Which might not be a bad thing if that’s what you’re into, or if you’re on drugs.

The EP’s final track is a cover of The Kinks’ classic Tired Of Waiting For You. While it’s not bad, I have to admit that I actually kinda like the Green Day version more.

Another promising track (assumably from the full-length) entitled We Turned Our Backs can be heard on Sweethead’s MySpace, along with the first two tracks from The Great Disruptors, as well as their cover of Love & Rockets’ Life In Laralay, from the New Tales To Tell Love & Rockets tribute compilation.

The Great Disruptors
July 13, 2009
Strange Addiction

1. The Great Disruptors
2. Hardspun
3. Arcane Arcade
4. Traumatized And Dumb
5. Tired Of Waiting For You

UPDATE 7/30/09: So we’re talking to Sweethead last night, and Troy starts going off about all the reviewers talking about them like they’re all Los Angeles and the Sunset Strip, and how that’s cheesy and that ain’t them, and yeah they’re down with rock n’ roll decadence, but not in a lame way. Like in a dark way. Or something.

So yeah… Way to go, Skwerl.