“Against the Grain” @ LACE

By Rohin Guha

September 15, 2008: BlackBook Magazine online

http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/against-the-grain-lace

Yeah, it's a bit pot-kettle-black. But art would be predictable if it didn't contradict itself once in a while. That's why there's a little poetry in the lush work on display as part of Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions' "Against the Grain" (closing September 21). Curated by Christopher Russell, artists John Knuth, Anna Sew Hoy, and Ami Tallman round out an impressive set of 14 contributors whose work is just as overwrought as the decadence they pick apart. And while there are kernels of Gothic-ness peppering this exhibition (primarily through its dissection of decadence), the vision is strictly modern.

www.bbook.com

Wounded Lion Carol Cloud 7" (S-S)
Los Angeles gets a bad rap. Through our TV sets, we know it as a city of shallow glitter, brutal cops, and urban unrest…and, sure, there is that, but there are also lots of everyday folks, living unpretentious everyday lives. We also forget that Los Angeles has had a very healthy underground music scene, as it does today. Take the everyday folks and drop them into an underground scene and you get something like Wounded Lion, a great no-frills pop band who sounds fresh, even when they remind one of classic American power pop of the 70s. Inspired by The Amps, The Cramps, The Clean, and The Vaselines (as well as Credence Clearwater Revival and Kleenex), Wounded Lion can regularly be scene in LA haunts such as Mr T’s Bowl, The Smell, The Scene, and Spaceland. And now you get to hear them here, on their recording debut. The songs “Carol Cloud” and “Pony People” are two great poppers, hum-inducing, toe-tapping tunes which will wiggle their way into your brain and have you singing their choruses while at the grocery store or waiting in line at the DMV. This is perfect pop for the dying days of summer and the start of a new school year. Wounded Lion! 600 pressed. Here is a bit of "Carol Cloud." Check out the video for "Pony People."

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