Discovery Zone - Bikos

Last night I happened upon a Culver City collective at the Hotel Cafe just after witnessing the disappointing Laker loss on one of the biggest screens I've ever seen. Bikos, which rhymes with Meepos, you know..the island where Balki Bartokomous (Perfect Strangers) hails, was personally responsible for lifting my spirits with their high-energy eccentric rock and roll. Unfortunately a late weekday billing at 11pm left a scant number of spectators at the hotel ; however, we were all treated to a great exhibition ending in a rush to inherit their free demos. Their charming set culminated with a few solid cuts including the epic "That Is Mine" that I'm looking so forward to hearing on their forthcoming LP later this Spring, which i should add is getting some mixing from Beck's engineer of choice. Lead singer Gabriel Pearlman shouty vocals reminded me a bit of Eddie Argos (Art Brut) but coupled with Miki Burton's vox they give off a bit of the vibe of the Friedberger siblings (Fiery Furnaces), Los Campesinos or a new indie rock version of the b-52's. Each member in the sextet are outstanding in their own right, including accomplished bassist Dave Jones (Magnolia Thunderpussy/SST), Daniel Hur on lead guitar, Jaron Halmy alternating between the piano and keys, and Austin Wester on the drums. Their proclivity in shifting rhythms and time signatures over each composition is great. Catchy hits "You Want It", and "Make Your Sound Sound" has been getting a lot of play on KXLU's Demo-listen. Bikos has a number of shows lined up in the next few months, including their next in their hometown at the Cinema Bar on March 18th.