{"id":3358,"date":"2014-06-30T21:39:23","date_gmt":"2014-06-30T21:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/music\/review-the-allah-las-trip-out-for-summer-and-music-kickoff-in-long-beach\/"},"modified":"2014-06-30T21:39:23","modified_gmt":"2014-06-30T21:39:23","slug":"review-the-allah-las-trip-out-for-summer-and-music-kickoff-in-long-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/music\/review-the-allah-las-trip-out-for-summer-and-music-kickoff-in-long-beach","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: The Allah-Las Trip Out for Summer and Music Kickoff in Long Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"AllahLas<\/p>\n

Allah-Las guitarist Pedrum Siadatian. Photos by Brian Addison.<\/em><\/p>\n

The kickoff to the much-anticipated Summer and Music (S.A.M.) began this weekend with Los Angeles-based surfer-gone-psychedelic band the Allah-Las headlining for Dancin\u2019 in the Streets, held at the Promenade this past Saturday.<\/p>\n

To say that the band wears its influences on its sleeve is an understatement: from the Beach Boys to the early Stones to some of The Kinks, the Allah-Las bring the greatness of 60s California surf rock to a chilled out, vibrant form.<\/p>\n

\"AllahLasTheir sound\u2014surely to be called reductive by Madonna while I would prefer to say they own their influences unapologetically: a reflection of a reflection\u2014is led by frontman Miles Michaud, whose pitch-perfect control captivated the crowd of hundreds just as easily as he captivated the small crowd that gathered for the band\u2019s show at Fingerprints back in April. Backed by guitarist Pedrum Siadatian, bassist Spencer Dunham and drummer Matt Correia, whose charisma shines through when he comes to the front of the stage with a pair of maracas or a tambourine.<\/p>\n

Dancin\u2019 in the Streets has always had an old-school vibe to it ever since Nick Waterhouse (who shares a label with the Allah-Las) took hold of a Long Beach parking lot with his blue-eyed soul. Last year’s version of the event brought Matt Costa. But the Allah-Las brought a different vibe (and crowd by way of their LA following) that encouraged one to dance in a chill, trance-like mode more than get down to the jungle boogie to the point of sweating bullets.<\/p>\n

Take \u201cNo Voodoo,\u201d from their self-titled debut from last year, for example: the Byrds-like jangly guitar trappings of Siadatian can easily hypnotize to the point of being catatonic but when paired with the alternating percussion stylings of Correia, you can\u2019t help but sway them hips. It\u2019s a rollicking garage rock flashback whose vocal harmonies are impossible to resist as the twangy frosting on the cake.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t You Forget It,\u201d released in 2012 as a split-side with Waterhouse, is nothing short of a bonafide stoner jam that could be easily mistaken for Kasabian were the track not unabashed in fully diving into its influences (with the latter seeming to avoid pure imitation in favor of pseudo-psych). While I lean towards the R&B accoutrements of Waterhouse\u2019s version of \u201cForget,\u201d there is no denying that the Allah-Las ability to create genuinely mysterious music gives their take on the track a particularly special aspect.<\/p>\n

However you take the Allah-Las\u2014too self-aware? Or brilliantly adept at capturing a time gone?\u2014there is one thing for sure: if this is their first formal offering (despite having been together since 2008), there\u2019s hope after all that we won\u2019t drown in the massacre of EDM currently happening in anything associated with the word \u201cdance.\u201d You\u2019re left, admittedly, wanting a bit more from the Allah-las but therein lies the aforementioned hope.<\/p>\n

More Allah-Las and more dancin\u2019 in the streets.<\/p>\n

The next S.A.M. event will be on July 11 with Twisted at the Pike, featuring Fartbarf, Allah-Las label mate DeLux, and Long Beach favorites Wild Pack of Canaries and Free Moral Agents.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n