Why does San Diego, CA have weather that is just about perfect all year long? And why then does every band I seem to come across on the interweb from San Diego seem to be really good? Dumb luck perhaps or something more than that?

My latest San Diego "find" is a band called Alta Voz that sounds like ghostly and fractured math-rocking apparition of At The Drive-In or maybe a less Latin influenced Mars Volta. I should also note that any band that garners comparisons to ATDI from me (or anyone else) had better be damn good. Alta Voz is damn good. The music rocks really hard at times but also has an almost haunting and ethereal quality to it as well. Much like some of the more brooding tunes from Death Cab's Transatlanticism album effect-laden guitars chime and wash over propulsive and relentless backbeats. However you describe Alta Voz, they have a new full-length record City of Echo that deserves your attention. It is available from CD Baby if you aren't from their neck 'o the woods.

http://www.canyouseethesunset.com/2007/03/sucker-punched-in-ribcage.html