When we last talked to Alex Brown Church while he was in town earlier this year with his band Sea Wolf he told us he was genuinely most excited about touring during the year ahead. Over half a year later, Church and fans alike will be pleased as the lead Wolf himself will be bringing Sea Wolf material out on the road, this time as a solo show. more ›

But then Earlimart [MySpace] takes over, sounding like Grandaddy's Postal Service, with lush orchestration. And what's when we saw god, or Jesus, specifically. It was just one of those nights where you're feeling it, and you look around and everyone else has that same bright-eyed look, and then you see Jesus working on a plate of perfectly crispy Sichuan green beans, giving his server an A-OK sign. "7.2 on Pitchfork!" Jesus says. "I loves me my rainy-day pop!" Earlimart plays the romantic swoon "Answers and Questions" [over here], they play the uptempo "Everybody Knows Everybody," they make us all sigh miserably with "Don't Think About Me" -- they've got the knack down of kicking a song off with a quiet verse, then bringing in the drums. They're backed by the Dream String Team, giving them a big 9-piece sound. It's our companion's first time at the Triple Door, and she loves it -- "This is so fabulous," she says, bouncing a little on her seat. "Normally you're at a show and you're standing and you're mildly uncomfortable -- and that's not even counting this incredible freaking banana split!" (The secret is the gelato from Gelatiamo.) Earlimart nears the last song and Jesus hops up on his chair: "You're all coming with, come the Rapture! Anybody who missed tonight -- fuck 'em!" Which, as we thought about it, was no more arbitrary than other religious proclamations, but the waitstaff makes him get back down and we notice they won't refill his wine glass, even after he waves it upside down conspicuously. Still, the announcement makes the encore particularly sweet -- Earlimart don't even make us wait that long before trooping back out. more ›

Los Angeles-based Earlimart is known for their well-crafted indie chamber pop chockful of dreamy lyrics and melancholy melodies. Their fifth album Mentor Tormentor was just released on Tuesday, and you can check out the album's sound, as well as some expert pancake-flipping techniques, in the above video. For more samples, there's always the MySpace, or head over to Pitchfork for the lushly arranged piano track "Happy Alone." more ›