Stevenson Ranch Davidians: Psalms, Hymns, & Spiritual Songs

BY MYCHELLE PETERSON

Stevenson Ranch Davidians
Psalms, Hymns, & Spiritual Songs
Self-Released

Among the throngs of Los Angeles-based bands, every so often you come across one that stands so far above the rest that it almost takes you by surprise. Listening to the amount of music that we here at The Scenestar do, occasionally the giddiness of discovering a new band seems a thing of the past. With the advent of MySpace and other music sites, anyone can form a band and push their mediocre music onto masses of unsuspecting people looking for something new.

So when a friend recommended the Stevenson Ranch Davidians a few weeks ago, I almost begrudgingly took a listen, mostly expecting to hear something average at best. And there I was, half-way through the first track, “Let It All Go,” when I suddenly felt this surge of unbridled joy take over my entire body. As if I had been previously in a state of semi-consciousness, I fully came to, sat straight up and wondered where this band had been all my life. In one word, the band's sound is euphoric.

Recalling the fuzzed out sounds of the Dandy Warhols and the psychedelia of Brian Jonestown Massacre fused with the soaring vocals of Richard Ashcroft, there is something much more life-affirming about the Stevenson Ranch Davidians than the aforementioned counterparts. Concocted around the notion of a cult, it’s easy to see people being converted to the dreamy, blissful melodies on the band’s debut album, Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs. There is no denying the religious yet nondenominational undertones to these songs, heavy in the wisdom of living for today and loving your fellow man. We’re not talking about God; we’re talking about spiritualism. What struck me most about the songs is that sense of optimism. Though many bands of the neo-psychedelic movement embody the same sounds, their lyrics are much bleaker and don’t offer the hope that is deeply embedded in the songs of the Davidians.

In fact, the Davidians’ sound easily stands tall next to the melancholy of Spiritualized. The contrast comes in the fact that we’re ingesting mood enhancers here, not depressants or other downers. Anyone who doesn’t want to sing along to the chorus of “What a Wonderful World” should check to make sure a heart is still beating inside their chest cavity. It’s joyful, it’s infectious, and it’s deceptively simple. It is exactly what beautiful music should be.

So far the Stevenson Ranch Davidians have focused their efforts on the L.A. area, and that’s good news for Scenestar readers. The band plays an acoustic show March 2 at Cafe Corsa, and it’s one you absolutely don’t want to miss. If there is any justice in the world, this band is going to be heading out on the road for a long time, delivering the much-needed gospel to an overstressed and pessimistic world in need of salvation.

Before experiencing the band live, head over to the Stevenson Ranch Davidian’s official merch site and pick up the band’s debut album, bonus tracks and previously released EP.

Comments

[paulag]

Their music fohcking rocks.
I love you Stevenson Ranch Davidians.
You got a new fan + Mychelle too.

[paula g]

its soooooo clicheeeee when you saaaay some thing clicheeeeeeeee

[John Chafin]

They are great!!!--carys da