Album of the Week: Paradise Massage / The New Centuries

This week's album comes courtesy of a band steadfastly emerging from the local scene - The New Centuries. The band emailed me an MP3 of "Birds in the Garden" -an angsty rock tune that still finds a pop melody while remaining rough around the edges - and I was instantly hooked. The mini-album, Paradise Massage follows in a similar vein combining post-punk aggression with indie dance floor grooves, sounding a bit like a more fun Joy Division. I was also reminded a bit of VHS or Beta. The band plays Spaceland in Los Angeles on July 5, and has a number of local shows lined up, meaning that the buzz is likely to continue building.

Download "Birds in the Garden" at Stranger Dance.