BUZZ BANDS

Goldrush takes aim

Robin Bennett might not be ready to adopt Los Angeles as a hometown -- “too many distractions,” he says, flashing a schoolboy smile -- but these last few weeks the 27-year-old singer-guitarist and his Oxford, England, quintet Goldrush have slowly been embraced by L.A.

There’s not a lot to dislike. Bennett, his brother Joe and bandmates Hamish Tesco, Garo Nahoulakian and G. Roby nail everything live, having earned duties as backing musicians for the solo project of Mark Gardener, the ex-Ride guitarist and fellow Oxford native. And so imbued is Goldrush with an indie ethic that the band has its own label (Truck Records) and studio and even mounts an annual outdoor festival.

Then there is its U.S. debut, “Ozona,” which Bennett describes as “our idea of America through a daydream,” adding with a smile: “Now that we’ve spent time here, I don’t know what we’ll write.” With its Britpop melodicism and lyrical guilelessness, “Ozona” might be some of the strongest recent Americana not made in America -- psych-pop on a countrified tableau of jangle, fuzz and twang.

The album bears the name of the Texas town (population 3,400) where Goldrush’s tour van broke down in spring 2004. While repairs were made, the band adjourned to a nearby saloon for a booze-soaked evening with the locals. “They asked, ‘You fellas ever shoot a gun before?’ and we said, ‘Of course not,’ ” Bennett says. “We went off in their pickup trucks and fired guns. Somehow we came out of it alive.”

Goldrush opens for the Tyde on Saturday at Spaceland.

Some Self reliance

When producers Dr. Dre, Lil Jon, Kanye West, Timbaland and the Neptunes took their places among the biggest names in rap, they also earned another distinction: must-haves for record companies eager to land hit songs for their artists. Thanks to such star power, it’s increasingly rare when one producer handles all, or even most, of an album.

“All these cats are visible artists rather than being behind-the-scenes, traditional Quincy Jones-style producers,” says rapper Chace Infinite, half of rap duo Self Scientific. But on their second album, “Change” (due Tuesday on Angeles Records), the politically minded L.A. duo bucks this production hodgepodge trend by sticking to its creative formula: Infinite handles the majority of the vocals and DJ Khalil (who has also produced songs for G Unit, Xzibit and Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon) handles the group’s music.

“Self Scientific has always been a duo, and Khalil doesn’t rap,” Chace says with a laugh. “It has to be [that way]. I do all the lyrics and he does all the music. We just kind of meet in the middle.”

The duo performs next Thursday at Rehab Records, 2324 Cotner Ave., Hollywood.

Fast

forward

New York tunesmiths Nada Surf perform Saturday at the El Rey Theatre in support of the latest release -- and strongest to date -- “The Weight Is a Gift.”... And speaking of New Yorkers, the Hold Steady brings its barroom rock to the Troubadour tonight.... Venice-based Cheap Lullaby Records has signed the BellRays; look for an album in early ’06.

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-- Kevin Bronson, with Soren Baker