BUZZ BANDS

Musical reunion

Sometimes old friends make the best bookends. That’s what bassist Ariel Rechtshaid found when he began playing music with an old high school pal, guitarist Lewis Pesacov. Now those two flank bandmates Matt Popieluch and Garrett Ray in Foreign Born, an L.A. quartet that has piqued the ears of A&R; scouts in only a few months of shows.

“The music came so easily it seemed kind of magical,” Rechtshaid says. “Lewis and I found we still have similar tastes in music, that there still was a common thread.”

They weave that thread into a sound that suggests an amped-up Echo & the Bunnymen. Pumping dance beats and dense guitar textures frame Popieluch’s booming vocals.

“We think Matt is something special -- his voice and his lyrics are incredible,” Rechtshaid says. (Rechtshaid and Ray, the drummer, also play in the L.A. quartet Dirty Little Secret, which recently released a strong debut EP on Leftwing Recordings.)

Foreign Born, coming off a sturdy set Friday night at the Troubadour opening for the Futureheads, plays next on Dec. 6 at the Viper Room.

Swedes’ new home

Speaking of foreign born, the five members of Last Amanda first came to L.A. from Sweden in 2003 to check out the scene. After generating a little label interest (they got their return flights paid for -- that’s better than a bag of pickled herring), they committed to giving it a go here.

“There’s only 9 million people in Sweden,” lead singer Marten Larsson says. “Becoming a huge star in Sweden doesn’t mean that much sales-wise.”

The band’s eponymous debut came out a few months ago, and the second single, “Game Over,” is starting to get a push. There’s clearly a ‘70s hard rock thing going on (Foreigner maybe?) but at King King last week, when the raw energy and interplay clicked, it spawned a sweaty vibe conjuring Blue Oyster Cult with a little punk abandon.

The camaraderie on stage comes naturally: Larsson and guitarist Andreas Magnusson met when they were 7, and drummer Peter Limber and Larsson grew up next door to each other.

For now, it’s all about proving themselves on the local scene, including a gig Sunday at Spaceland in Silver Lake. “We’re from Sweden,” Larsson told the King King crowd, “but this is our home.”

Fast forward

Local musicians, including Minibar and Rusty Anderson (Paul McCartney’s guitarist), will perform Monday in memory of George Harrison. The show at the Knitting Factory follows a 6:30 p.m. screening of “Concert for George,” the film of the Harrison tribute two years ago at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The show benefits the American Cancer Society.... Spaceland’s Dec. 7 show by next-big-thing rockers Arcade Fire sold out its allotment of tickets faster than any other in the club’s history.