Reviews
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Beatcrave – Live Review
Then finally taking the stage to proudly bask in the spotlight in honor of all their hard work, Le Switch easily claimed the attention of the anxious crowd. To preface our take on this show, we must say that we have never been let down by a Le Switch performance no matter how small the bill or venue and that night, well, disappointment wasn’t even a possible option. There is an energy that musicians are incapable of escaping when they all carry a sense of accomplishment and the camaraderie and cohesion on stage revealed this heartwarming pride.
Le Switch’s set on Thursday night was an extraordinary one with frontman Aaron Kyle being in rare form. With more grittiness in his vocals than usual in songs such as “Call Out,” the association with Tom Waits (and the honesty which whisky bears in general) continued to stand. However, now that they’ve lost their horn player, the songs on the new album take a slightly different direction and the keyword is slightly. Still a Silver Lake band in disguise whose foundation lies somewhere around the Southwest, recent songwriting has inched them a tad closer to classic 1970s rock ‘n’ roll and pop structures. The soul was still there as Kyle melodically rendered tales of love, loneliness, and passing the time (which can always be traced back to having a good glass of whiskey – who are we kidding), the keys sparkled in a new way (even when they are playing Star Wars theme songs) and the rhythms held a few lighter beats.
We still can’t believe Le Switch is a Los Angeles band, but it’s a great characteristic that always proves a band’s sound can break any location boundaries and stereotypes. Where, exactly, isn’t the issue. It’s what they’ve got and Le Switch has plenty of substance to bring anywhere they go. Check some of our photos out below!
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Buzzbands – Ears Wide Open
Not only have the ranks of Silver Lake rockers Le Switch thinned, so has the viscosity of the band’s music. The band’s 2008 debut “And Now … Le Switch” roared with boozy, Dr. John-inspired rock ’n’ soul, but on the follow-up “The Rest of Me Is Space” (due Nov. 16), singer-guitarist Aaron Kyle and mates Josh Charney, Joe Napolitano and Christopher Harrison (now absent viola/trumpet player Maria DeLuca) move toward classic ’70s pop songwriting. With good results, judging from the two songs the band released today.
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SCPR – The Madeleine Brand Show for November 9, 2010
For some L.A. rock bands, country is a four letter word. But not for rock outfit Le Switch, who sound more at home a saloon than Silver Lake. There are few country bands in the L.A.’s Silver Lake neighborhood, so Le Switch is an island in the indie music scene.
Frontman Aaron Kyle’s voice has more gristle than a McRib sandwich. But unlike the McRib, his voice is all-natural and authentic. He sings about lost love and drowning sorrows, but never wallows in pessimism.
On their sophomore album, The Rest of Me Is Space, Le Switch dips slightly back into of alt-country sound but also explores the more pop rock song structures. Dr. John, Wilco, even Joe Strummer come to mind as Kyle leaves the howls behind for more melodic, soulful croons. “The Rest of Me Is Space” comes out next Tuesday, and Le Switch plays The Prospector in Long Beach tonight.
Like Le Switch, Swedish singer/songwriter Tallest Man on Earth isn’t afraid of some twang. But unlike Le Switch, Tallest Man on Earth goes it alone, armed with just a guitar, his voice and a story.
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LA Weekly
The Western-tinged, honky-tonk rockers Le Switch are an island in Los Angeles’ indie rock scene. With Josh Charney’s tinkling ivories and Aaron Kyle’s gristled vocals broadcasting lonesome love songs and bar-room howlers, the band sounds more Southwest than Silver Lake. But on their upcoming album, The Rest of Me Is Space, Le Switch explores more soulful textures and classic rock ‘n’ roll song structures that echo back to the good ol’ days of pop. They’re hints of the Beatles and Wilco in Le Switch’s diverse offerings, but Kyle’s soaring voice obliterates comparison, soulfully reaching up and calling out to the heavens.
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CD Baby – Review
There was a short window of time in the early 70’s, right after the Beatles broke up, when Paul McCartney released his first few solo records. The tracks on those LPs were probably intended to be Beatles songs, but released from the confines of the band, McCartney was free to brighten the tunes to his heart’s content, delving deep into the piano-laced pop that he excelled at. The songs on the sophomore album from this Los Angeles band encapsulate that sound: highly melodic, unabashedly peppy, and carefully orchestrated while still remaining loose and free. You’ll catch on as soon as you dive into the supremely catchy opener, “How We Imagined It,” which takes the McCartney vibe and couples it with a late-70’s Randy Newman sort of thing that takes full advantage of vocalist Aaron Kyle’s smooth-but-scratchy delivery. It’s just the first of many three-minute pop numbers here that match a piano bounce with strong, driving melodies that don’t linger too long, but will end up stuck in your head regardless. That’s not to say the group doesn’t have range: “Drinkin’” mixes blues and soul and peaks with a flurry of guitars, and “You & I” rides a pulsing organ tone and features some of the most emotive vocals on the album. In the end, it’s hard to nail this record down, but somehow, that just makes its appeal more universal.
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LA Canvas – Review
This past Thursday, indie-pop foursome Le Switch released their second album The Rest Of Me Is Space.
Known for their soulful and alternative country-esque sounds, Le Switch have created an eclectic record blending catchy pop ballads (“Call Out,” “All About Heart” and “Bad Decisions”), sing-along piano tunes (“Drinkin” and “New Born City”) and adding even a western-like feel (“Hurky Jurky” and “Country II”). A huge element in the record, the piano, which most bands nowadays tend to keep soft in the background, is especially powerful. Josh Charney playfully hammers the keys leading the way for the rest of the song’s components. And with Aaron Kyle’s vocals going back and forth from growls and grumbles to faint words under his breath, Joe Napolitano coming in with head-bopping percussion and drums, and Christopher Harrison adding the soul with his bass, it all makes for a winning combination. What’s really nice about The Rest Of Me Is Space is that you can hear every instrument in every song. Each instrument has its own unique sound that can easily be recognized and isn’t decomposed by reverb or any other form of alteration. The Rest Of Me Is Space has something for everyone and it goes really well with a beer after a tiresome day.
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Web In Front – Review
A wildly hook-charged criss-crossing of head-bobbing nods to Harry Nilsson, Leon Russell, and ‘70s rock ‘n roll, Le Switch’s The Rest of Me is Space strips away And Now… Le Switch’s barroom brawl of nicotine’d vocals and boozy county-rock to reveal a rock band deeply entrenched in tight melodies, clever, adventurous arrangements, and a knack for moody popcraft by turns smirking and smoldering.
A startling—but incredibly satisfying—step forward for the band after losing Maria DeLuca’s brassy horn lines and background vocals, The Rest of Me is Space finds Le Switch totally free of genre constraints, and simply getting down to the business of being a rock ‘n roll band. From the honeyed, rolling pop of “All About Heart” to the rumbling thunderclaps of the attitude-heavy “Call Out,” from the shit-kicking theatrics of “Country II” to nervy, rollicking LP bookends of the swooning “How We Imagined It” and the, well, herky-jerked anthemics of “Herky Jerky,” Le Switch lays down their best and most winning set of songs thus far. With frontman Aaron Kyle singing with more grit and soul than ever before as the band matches him measure for measure with a raging, but nuanced, performance, the rest of Le Switch might be space, but this disc is all heart.
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Aaron Kyle talks Kate Bush on RFSL
Go check it out Here!
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Le Switch is a Beatcrave Fav!
Check it! http://su.pr/2GcXHQ
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LA WEEKLY
Thank Justin “Aquarium Drunkard” Gage and his Autumn Tone imprint for releasing the full-length debut from Silverlake stalwarts, Le Switch. A shambling, boozy and beautiful 38-minute bender, Aaron Kyle and his talented bandmates, eschew au courant influences for simple, straightforward songcraft. With a skeleton of Ram-era McCartney, Nilson Schmilsson, and The Band, Le Switch are Los Angeles’ answer to Dr. Dog. Dismissing their sound as overly familiar misses the point; Le Switch’s influences might be well-worn but their voice is unmistakably unique. Don’t miss their February Monday night residency at Spaceland.
