WHEELS DOES A DRIVE-THROUGH

ONE TO WATCH
A Decent Animal (www.myspace.com/adecentanimal): Check into this San Francisco-based atmospheric rock trio that mixes the essence of Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Pavement and Band of Horses, with a splash of Tom Waits. Their catchy, melodic tunes are complete with vocal harmonies and great instrumentation, which bring a haunting dimension to the proceedings…in a good way. A Decent Animal are relative newcomers to the scene, and with the recent addition of Johnny Cruz (Samiam) on drums and Ben Andrews on guitar, their sound has jelled into its strongest incarnation yet. With a new record, crafted at Tiny Telephone, set to release this spring, the band is moving forward at light speed. Will we see you at the Silverlake Lounge on 1/14?

ON DECK
The Real You (http://www.myspace.com/therealyou; @therealyoumusic) is a piano-driven pop/rock four-piece from Seattle in the vein of The Fray, Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate. “Unwound” is the first single from their new EP Better Now Than Never, produced by Jim Wirt. Since their conception in early 2007, they’ve toured relentlessly, including a number of self-booked, full-on U.S. tours, two extensive tours of Japan and the Far East (their EP was recently released by Kick Rock in Japan), an appearance at the Sundance Film Festival, a short stint in Hawaii with Lifehouse and SXSW.

BAND/ARTIST UPDATES
Fan Death (www.fan-death.com @fandeath): Recently announced Vampire Weekend European support dates and a new EP, A Coin for the Well, set for a Feb. 23 release in North America. Check out their website for music and more information on the upcoming tour.