BUZZ BANDS

Weird science

Bon Savants give a literal twist to 'math rock,' and Goldenboy's sunny pop can do no wrong.

November 9, 2006

He's got it down to a science

Never tell a rocket scientist "it's not rocket science" — particularly a guy who issues a short treatise on how music defies the Second Law of Thermodynamics along with a copy of his album.

"Some of the scientists I know think it's a little bit shaky," concedes Thom Moran, singer-guitarist of the Boston indie-rock band Bon Savants (French for "good scientists") with a laugh. "But in a way, music is introducing more order to the universe than you have a right to."

Suffice to say Moran (day job: project coordinator for rocket launches at an MIT research laboratory) has given the matter some thought, which may or may not help listeners sort out the narratives on the Bon Savants' debut album, "Post-Rock Defends the Nation."

Not really post-rock (Moran says the title song references the moment in Germany when he wrote it), Bon Savants' music recalls the heady stylings of the likes of the National, Spoon and Magnetic Fields, textured just enough to command attention to Moran's observations on love, loss and quantum mechanics.

Begun as a collaboration with Kevin Haley — who has since left the band "to have a normal life," Moran says — Bon Savants is taking a DIY approach. Label-less, manager-less and having only recently hooked up with a booking agent, they self-released the album this week.

"We joke about that — Bon Savants, indie as ... " says Moran, who with band mates Dave Wessel, Andrew Dole, Craig Hendrix and Brian Hamilton opens for the Wrens at the Troubadour on Friday. "But things have managed to fall our way."

Filled with emotion

The name might sound brazen, but Goldenboy is anything but. The L.A. trio, which derives its name from the nickname Elliott Smith jokingly bestowed upon singer-songwriter Shon Sullivan, makes understated, reflective pop that's liable to touch your heart before it grabs your ear.

Credit those long months on the road, where Sullivan plied his trade with the likes of Smith, the Eels, Neil Finn and Johnny Marr. "A lot of the music comes from a nostalgic place," Sullivan says of the songs he writes with singer-drummer Bryan Bos. "The title track of 'Underneath the Radio' was written while we were driving through Europe in the middle of winter, thinking about what's waiting for us when we get home."

The album, the band's second, and its first for L.A.'s Eenie Meenie Records, features guest turns from Finn, Lisa Germano and Matt Sharp, among others. It's an extension of Sullivan's collaborative nature.

"I feel lucky and honored to have played in some of these different bands," Sullivan says, acknowledging his music is informed by the artists with whom he's shared the stage. "It's inevitable that some of their music would rub off in some way."

Goldenboy, with Daniel Conrad now manning the bass, performs Monday at the Viper Room and Nov. 21 at Cinespace.

Fast forward

Touts: La Rocca, the amiable Irish lads who moved from Dublin to L.A. to record and release their debut, "The Truth," is on the rebound after becoming the latest victim of crimes against touring bands. The quartet's misfortune came last weekend in Philadelphia, where no fewer than five bands have been ripped off this year. La Rocca's van — with all its equipment inside — was stolen from outside the band's hotel after a show with Roman Candle and Birdmonster. Two tour dates were canceled. The hunt is on for guitars, keyboards and the like with "La Rocca" stenciled on the side; the band is scheduled to be back in L.A. for a show Wednesday at the Troubadour with Everybody Else.... The articulate pop of Let's Go Sailing may not be cut out for a club where everyone insists on chattering during the music, but the outfit started its November residency in strong fashion Monday at Spaceland.... Great Northern gears up for the release of its debut on Eenie Meenie Records by playing Mondays this month at the Echo, while songstress Sierra Swan plays a string of Mondays at the Viper Room.... Norway's 120 Days plays the Echo on Sunday behind its self-titled debut, a Kraftwerk-meets-Spacemen 3 miasma.... Ohio-based Lovedrug (tonight at Spaceland, Sunday at the Glass House) charts a course toward epic art-rock for its sophomore album, "Everything Starts Where It Ends," due early next year.... Great pairing of the Vacation and Run Run Run at Safari Sam's on Monday.... And the original Supernova — the Orange County funsters, not the made-for-TV band — plays Saturday at Chain Reaction.



buzzbands@latimes.com

Download the Bon Savants' "Between the Moon and the Ocean" at www.myspace.com/bonsavants.

Stream Goldenboy's "Summer of the Evening" at www.goldenboyband.com.

Download "Come Out (Come Down, Fade Out, Be Gone)" by 120 Days at www.vicerecords.com/av.php.

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