Lena Simon (La Luz) Stretches Time on Bass w/ the Disaster Transport Delay

La Luz bassist Lena Simon discusses how the Disaster Transport delay influenced her playing on the new album "Floating Features" out now on Hardly Art.
The OG Disaster Transport is discontinued, but lives on in the Disaster Transport SR: eqd.rocks/DTSR
Hear more music by La Luz at luzer.online/
Los Angeles has often been described as a “dream factory”-both a mecca where dreamers converge to pursue long-held aspirations, and a topography of hallucinogenic contradictions: enchanting tangerine sunsets diffused by smog, crystal-clutching spiritualists mingling with deep-pocketed narcissists, rows of scenic palms competing with garish billboards for commuters’ attention. It was against this backdrop that the four members of La Luz-singer/guitarist Shana Cleveland, drummer Marian Li Pino, keyboardist Alice Sandahl, and bassist Lena Simon-conceived of Floating Features, the band’s third studio album. For this, their most ambitious release yet, La Luz consulted landscapes both physical and psychological. References to dreams abound on Floating Features. “Loose Teeth” catalyzes nightmare fuel into a propulsive, intentionally-disorienting collision of honeyed harmonies and Takeshi Terauchi-esque jetstreams of distorted surf guitar. “Mean Dream” unsurprisingly mines dreamstate imagery, and the lyrics and melody for “Walking Into the Sun” actually came to Cleveland during a particularly-vivid night of deep sleep. Looming over the album’s coterie of surreal figures (gargantuan cicadas, a monstrous “Creature,” The Sun King, aliens, the titular “Lonely Dozer”) is the magnificent “Greed Machine,” a skulking, insatiable engine of consumption-Nathanael West’s “business of dreams” fearsomely manifested. To bring these visions to stereophonic life, La Luz pivoted from the DIY trailer-park brio of It’s Alive and the gritted-up urgency of Weirdo Shrine toward lush, hi-fidelity production value. Li Pino’s drums have never sounded more thunderously muscular, Simon’s basslines more robust-yet-agile, Sandahl’s organ melodies more complementary, Cleveland’s layers of guitar more versatile, or the group’s trademark harmonies more bewitching and rapturous. For every one of Floating Features’ seismic crescendos, there are just as many small, evocative details coloring its somnambulist soundscape. Only La Luz could conjure up Floating Features’ Leone-on-LSD vibes, and the album finds the L.A. band at the height of their powers-golden rebels in a golden dream.
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[@ohyeahitsthatoneguy]

She's so frickin cool, just saw them live in sf last night and was in the front mesmerized by her bass playing/sick moves. Looking forward to seeing them live in the future!

[@future_past4503]

holy grail <> sansamp classic <> disaster transport 👌pedal selection

[@cynthia8014]

love la luz AND earthquaker AND bass... 11/10 optimal video for brushing my teeth to...

[@ayindex]

I could listen to her talk about music all day

[@infectioushobo]

Waow waow waow, cool! Hopefully seeing them in Chicago in a few weeks. Rock on.

[@pdg887]

Great tone. Nice to see Squier getting lots of love these days.

[@DateNiteMusic]

YES! Seriously my new favorite album- already got my tickets !! 🖤▪️🖤▪️🖤

[@calmazo]

Thank you!

[@Barry101er]

New tunes for me :)

[@daleweber2579]

This is a really cool delay. I could see Peter Steele using this in Type O if he was still around.

[@jimmorone1631]

Cooooool. Rad bassist.

[@AspenEmrys]

1:57

[@samuelpalacios4936]

I love you, Lena

[@wendolynebarrios]

fuck yeah!!

[@TapiaBernie]

Man i miss my GK 800RB

[@chrisdonahue]

<3

[@calmazo]

Does anyone know what squier she’s playing?