BUZZ BANDS

Bands naming themselves after songs of their musical predecessors is a time-honored tradition, from Eric’s Trip (a Sonic Youth reference) to Radiohead (Talking Heads). But L.A. duo Uh Huh Her has gone one better, naming themselves after both an obscure PJ Harvey song and her 2004 album. “I don’t think we thought it through,” admits singer Leisha Hailey, below at right. “We love PJ Harvey but we never thought we’d have a tribute band.” They don’t: Uh Huh Her’s sleek, synth-infused sound is closer to “Adore”-era Smashing Pumpkins or Metric than it is to the moody English alt-rocker. The band’s debut album, “Common Reaction” (out Aug. 19), is an electro-pop feast characterized by layers of overlapping vocals. “We like the way our voices blend together,” says Hailey. She’s no stranger to harmonizing: Before taking a music hiatus to play Alice Pieszecki in Showtime’s “The L Word,” Hailey strummed and sang in Lilith Fair pair the Murmurs, known for their 1994 hit “You Suck.” “The sound is really different,” she says of the quirky Murmurs. “I was much younger [then].” Camila Grey (left in photo) Uh Huh Her’s resident multi-instrumentalist and former Mellowdrone bassist, is happy for the chance to stretch out. “I was always a hired gun so I was never allowed to be as creative as I wanted to be,” she says. Now, with a few European dates under their belts and a national tour underway, the band is looking forward to making a mark on its home turf. “We’ve played one show (in L.A.), at the Knitting Factory,” Grey says. “I’d love to be a local band.” Watch Uh Huh Her rock the Roxy on Saturday. . . . Brother-sister act the Fiery Furnaces heat up Spaceland with a two-night stand on Friday and Saturday, while ex-Irving members the Afternoons kick off the venue’s Monday Night Residency for June. . . . Two-man band Rumspringa starts its Echo residency on Monday. . . . And if that’s not enough partnership for you, lovable folk-parodists-turned-HBO stars Flight of the Conchords play for the ladies of the world Friday and Sunday at the Orpheum Theatre.

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-- David.Greenwald@latimes.com