So L.A.

The Philippians’ sampling of hip-hop influences, moody ambient sounds, and soft vocals mimic a drive through L.A.’s hybrid urban landscape, moodily loathing our history of boosterism, while stuck in the daily freeway commute that culturally defines the city’s lifelines.

Though I haven’t bought the full album yet—it’s hard to come by in Orange County!—I’ve found any reason to play and play and play the four free tracks. Each song progresses and flows into one another like an all too short road trip, sampling Pink Martini’s "Je ne veux pas travailler" on “Tin Foil Fish” and rap/hip-hop sample on “Third Time Out.”

Still, the electronica repeats just enough to categorize and maintain musical coherency. Otherwise, various samplings make Goodnite Life Ratatat’s electronic counterpart, shifting beats, tones and styles. Add a cool ambiance and lyrical nostalgia à la RJD2’s “Making Days Longer” and voila, “Three Heart Machine.”

New York doesn’t make music like this.

The Philippians, Goodnite Life