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!

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.

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.

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.