[02.04] I grew up in a time when I was sure that the LA rock 'n' roll beast could be counted on to perform certain tricks. Sure, it was often a revolving door, with labels and journalists appending "the new sound of Los Angeles" to a seemingly endless string of groups with blow-dry ' dos and wailing leads. But it worked: I'd often find myself remarking to friends that a certain new band "definitely had that LA sound."

But not anymore. Ever since I moved here a few months ago, I realize that my supposed perception was the unfettered regurgitation of the marketer's claptrap. Now that I'm here, I don't hear any "LA sound." Maybe because I'm in the middle of what I'm now trying to observe, I can't discern the true LA sound for myself. Just as I'm ready to swear that the LA Rock Monster went the way of Monkeyman, I hear an EP that screams at me, throws a vodka bottle at my head and dares me to say that it isn't the physical embodiment of the phantom I've been searching for.

The EP is Scandinavian Reptile by a bunch of guys called Glenda. But Glenda, you see, aren't from here. They're from Sweden. Which is nowhere near LA. But that doesn't matter to Glenda and it sure as hell don't matter to me.

I hear my fantasy version of LA on this disc. I hear a vocalist that exhibits true skill, forsaking the novelties of falsetto or lyrical barking only to bring his sincerity into a head-on collision with pomposity. I hear guitarists that occasionally elevate wankery to a new science. And I hear lyrics that seem to read the gutters of this town perfectly.

But, most importantly, I hear rock music. I hear musicians that know their NWOBHM as well as their instruments. Guys who have the skill to ape Stereolab or Judas Priest all day, but want something more. Guys who've moved out of the garage and into the arena, because that's where rock musicians go. They don't sound like the Darkness and are definitely nowhere near the Hives. Oh there're a few familiar changes and even some fuzzy vox tricks throw in for good measure. But most of the time they just sound like Glenda, and that may be the most important quality they have.

And it's in this unique presentation that I find LA. Just like the city, it's loud, fast, and over-the-top, but would never stoop to parody. Just like this city, Glenda looks new, but is actually a skillful blending of the best of the old. And just like LA, Glenda sounds better at night. Hell, listening to Scandinavian Reptile while heading into a cherry red I-10 sunset, fantasy obscures reality, and the LA sound is as real as it ever was. —Jeremy