Paul Cisneros | courtesy Ledaswan is Jaime Monzon, Delrick Colwell, Erica Gutierrez, Amanda Flores, David Monzon.

THEY ARE: Ledaswan

MEMBERS: Erica Gutierrez, lead vocals, guitar; Jaime Monzon, guitar; Amanda Flores, bass, backup vocals, keyboards; Delrick Colwell, drums; David Monzon, guitar

THE SOUND: Dreamy melodic pop. Gutierrez's hauntingly beautiful alto drifts over richly textured guitars, delivering lyrics such as “I dreamt of a gun and a dead friend” and “I'm sorry I let you believe me/I've got a pocket full of charm.” Guiterrez calls the sound “modern, but trying to stay true to a songwriter's roots.”

THE WEB: ledaswanmusic.net, myspace.com/ledaswan

ALBUMS: How to Rearrange the World in 7 Days (2006); Verse of Truth Trash and Beauty (2007)

THE BACKGROUND: Ledaswan formed in 2004 when Guiterrez and Jaime Monzon, the primary songwriters, began collaborating. They formed a foursome with a bassist and drummer who were later replaced by Flores and Colwell. “We sort of stalked Amanda on MySpace. She was actually a huge fan of Ledaswan,” Guiterrez said. They recently added David Monzon, Jaime's brother, in the middle of recording their forthcoming album, to add more intricate guitars and allow Gutierrez to concentrate on vocals.

THEIR WORDS: “Having guys and girls in the band is a nice, cool balance,” Gutierrez said. What about the fact that the men now outnumber the women? “It's OK; we're still the bosses.”

WHERE TO SEE THEM: The CD release party for Verse is Friday, Nov. 16, at Rock Bottom Tattoo Bar, 1033 Avenue B.

THE 210 TAKE: Ledaswan pulls you in with Gutierrez's voice, but underneath the sweetness is a darker edge, with pensive lyrics and a complex framework. “We layered so many instruments, when you hear it five years from now, you'll say, ‘Wow, I never noticed that part’,” Gutierrez said. There are some unexpected sounds, too — Ledaswan recorded much of the new album in a cabin in Boerne. “If you listen really closely, you can hear the chicharras,” Jaime Monzon said.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA Contributor