INCHES002: Five More L.A. Vinyl Exclusives Revealed and Reviewed (+ MP3s)

In the unpredictable wake of music's digital rebirth, vinyl has experienced a modest boom in popularity, seen by many (with delicious irony) as a replacement for the awkward middleman that is the compact disc. INCHES seeks not only to review the output of L.A.'s healthy vinyl community (one populated by many indies and some well-intentioned majors), but to pay dap to those who continue to tend the flame, believing that good music deserves much more than a handful of ones and zeros.

Last week, INCHES focused on local labels releasing local music, spotlighting artist, imprint and product in one fell swoop. We continue this week with recent releases by five more L.A.-area artists on five more L.A.-area labels. Suggestions? Email us.

SPECIAL: LOCAL REVOLUTIONS (cont.)

Chris Martins

You'd be hard-pressed to find a catchier soul single in, say, the last 30 years, than Mayer Hawthorne's "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out." This bittersweet ode to love's coulda's and woulda's rings true not only in the universal simplicity of the message, but in the tribute paid to Hawthorne's greatest influences: Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, and Holland-Dozier-Holland. Never mind the fact that the L.A.-transplant, 29 and bespectacled, grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and that he's quite noticeably Caucasian. What matters is Hawthorne is a gifted singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist who breathes a just-perceptible hip-hop-ness into his vintage tunes.

Also of great import: the vinyl itself, a gorgeous heart-shaped platter that begs to be kept safe behind a layer of thick polymer. Stones Throw Records, dubbed "Best L.A. Record Label" last year, has been a bastion of good wax since its inception in 1996. Founder Peanut Butter Wolf, with considerable help from general manager Eothen "Egon" Alapatt, has pushed his company beyond its early rep as Madlib's home base (an honor, no doubt) into its current status as an L.A. institution. The signing of Hawthorne (as well as Leimert Park's Dâm-Funk), signifies a logical progression from soulful rap into beat-damaged soul.

Watch the vinyl-featuring video for Mayer Hawthorne's "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out."

Second pressing forthcoming. Info and MP3s at the Stones Throw store.

Chris Martins

By day, Amanda Brown is one-half of the raw vegan catering crew Crops And Rawbers. By night, she does time in the freewheeling space-dub outfit Pocahaunted. In whatever hours remain, the singer and guitarist not only morphs into a righteously psychedelic funk-soul explosion called Vibes, but co-runs the Not Not Fun label with her husband (and oft-band-mate) Britt. The Psychic 7-inch advertises a skronky set "jacked deep in the red, with fuzz bass, wah shrapnel, vocal sloganeering, and drum racket all fighting for tape room," and it delivers exactly that.

The titular track finds Mrs. Brown yelping and sassing over hypnotic wah-wah-fueled chug, while B-side leader "Night Court" rolls forth on a blown-out groove. The cover collage and lettering comes courtesy of NNF artist Cameron Stallones, a.k.a. Sun Araw, a similarly aligned garage-bound bluesman hailing from Long Beach. A mid-may first pressing of 400 sold out in a mere two weeks, but a second run (of 250) was recently made available. On Not Not Fun's near horizon are LPs by Robedoor, Portland-based Little Claw, and Oakland's Inca Ore.

Vibes - "Night Court" (MP3)

Second pressing available at the Not Not Fun web store.