Tag: Beach Boys

Dr. Cosmo’s Tape Lab and Gregory Pepper

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Miracles of Modern Science

Dr. Cosmo’s Tape Lab “Coconut Summer Drop-In 432”

The Coconut Summer Drop-In 432 is brilliant parody-homage of The Beach Boys Party!, Smiley Smile, and Surf’s Up albums with ukuleles, bongos, casiotone keyboards, and gorgeous harmonies. Studio chatter and party atmosphere on the opener “Ready Steady Beach!” ring with authenticity.

Next the brilliant “Too Hot To Sleep” is a slow stoner theme with Spanish verses, and lovely Smiley weirdness. More gems include “She’s Crazy” and “Andiamo” which are catchy and fun. “High Inside (The Lost Frontier)” channels the song “Surf’s Up” perfectly. The album is peppered with atmospheric filler, but for Beach Boys fan this is a special treat. Highly Recommended.

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Gregory Pepper & His Problems

Gregory Pepper & His Problems “CHORUS! CHORUS! CHORUS!”

I love the honest emotion of this new Gregory Pepper LP. Like a mix of Ben Folds and Weezer, each song is a tightly constructed arrangement with a catchy melody. “Crush On You” is fuzz guitar anthem to teen hormones and the hilarious un-PC bitterness of “Smart Phones For Stupid People” and “I Wonder Whose Dick You Had To Suck” make it stand out (and tons of cursing helps).

The irony of “Chorus! Chorus! Chorus!” is that each song only has a single chorus and the music is so quick (most songs are under a minute and a half) it feels like fleshed-out demos. They Might Be Giants did this on “Fingertips” to comedic effect too, but I’d love to hear a second verse at least. Still — this is a sweet distraction worth getting into.

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Movie Review: “Love & Mercy”

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There have been several biographic films about Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys over the years, and all of them up to this point have been mediocre at best. It all seemed to start with material taken from The Beach Boys and the California Myth or other books that show Brian as the tragic artist always trying to get the approval of his father, or the musical savant of a surf music group that never could “defeat” The Beatles. The movie Love & Mercy, doesn’t really concentrate on the band, but does bring Brian’s struggles to life.

The film bounces between the 1960s (Brian played by Paul Dano) and 1980s (Brian played by John Cusack.) The 1960s period is dead on accurate as Dano captures the catatonic states and music playing in Brian’s head, as he composes much of Pet Sounds. The studio scenes are very familiar sounding to Beach Boys fans who listened to the bonus tracks and rehearsals of the The Pet Sounds Sessions. The other band members are pretty nondescript, with the exception of Mike Love (Jake Abel) being the annoying critic who still wants more surf music. And Brian’s father, Murray Wilson is like a specter that looms over his decent into commercial failure and despair. Dano does a great job here and actually looks the part.

The 1980’s period has most of the movie’s conflict with Cuscak’s Wilson being frequently over-medicated by his psychiatrist Dr. Eugene Landy (brilliantly played by Paul Giamatti.) When the beautiful Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks) finds him car shopping in her Cadillac dealership, the story shifts to saving Brian from his manipulative doctor. Both parts of the movie work seamlessly together, but the latter period has most of the best acting in the movie. Its got Cusack capturing the subtle nuances of the adult Wilson perfectly, to the point where the lack of physical resemblance with the real Wilson almost isn’t an issue. In addition, both Banks and Giamattis performances keep the film from losing momentum.

The excellent sound editing here is also a huge part of this movie, as it brings the cacophony of voices in Brian’s head to life as well as the genesis of “God Only Knows.” If you want to nitpick, they gloss over Marilyn Rovell (Brian’s first wife) and the other Wilson brothers. They also ignore the 1970’s where Brian ballooned in weight, grew a beard and how Dr. Landy initially saved his life (before he turned into the villain.) Overall, an excellent film that is a must-see for Beach Boys fans and even the non-fans will enjoy this.

For more real life vs. movie comparisons Slate has a good article on this.

Vinnie Zummo and Nine Times Blue

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Vinnie Zummo “Swinging Guitar Sounds of Young America Vol 3”
Once again Vinnie Zummo gives us a collection of stylistic homages in several different genres. The melody of “I Wanna Love You” features bright Breach Boys styled harmonies, and Vinnie’s compelling lead.  The slide guitar and jangley melody of “Play Paul McCartney” sure to warm the hearts of power pop fans everywhere. He uses retro Beatles song structure on “Can’t You See,” and a vintage Stevie Wonder harmonica for the soul pop of “Funky Games.” He even does Steely Dan on “Howd This Happen,” the man is the definition of versatility.

His wife Janice really stands out as the vocalist for the country tune “Pocket Full of Soul.” You’ve got a massive twenty of tracks of music and I have to say that Vinnie’s songwriting and production have continued to improve. Recommended tracks are “Heartless,” “Just For You,” “Living On The Sun,” and with “George Harrison” he’s got a song for each Beatle! Update: Just finished an interview with Mr. Zummo. Read it here.

 
This tune is from Vinnie’s second album “Swinging Guitar Sounds of Young America Vol.2” and its for sale here!

Nine Times Blue “Falling Slowly”
The band is named after a Michael Nesmith song and is based in the Washington DC area. Lead by Kirk Waldrop (vocals and guitar) and joined by Greg King (guitar), Jeff Nelson (bass) and Jason Brewer (drums) opens with the title track, and I could sworn it was the Goo Goo Dolls or The Gin Blossoms. It’s rock with a high jangle content and familiarity. In addition, a cadre of power pop stars have minor roles (Joe Giddings, John Faye, David Myhr) on the LP.

The strongest material is early on, the most impressive being “Crazy To Think” and the title track. The instrumentation is exceptional, as evidenced on “Grace” and “Silent Words.” Other than a few heartfelt melodies like “Fun and Games” and some guitar acrobatics on “So Much Time,” it just didn’t move me like the first three songs here. But, if you like contemporary rock with a emphasis on strong guitar playing, this is for you.

Moldy Oldies: The Beach Boys and Joe Walsh

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With all the hype around the Beach Boys coming out with a new release, I decided to give in to my impulses and listen to these old dogs do some new tricks…

The Beach Boys “That’s Why God Made The Radio”
Rather than re-hash what others have already written, here is my take on the music itself. With Wilson back at the helm, it is easily the strongest BB album in over 20 years, with the title track balancing nostalgia and heavenly harmonies. Like BB albums of old, we get a sunny side and an introspective “dark” side. “Isn’t It Time” captures each of the band’s principal singers (with Al Jardine’s vocals sounding the best of the bunch). The backing crew of Brian’s “SMiLE” helps keep things smooth and tasteful, and other than a throwaway (“The Private Life Of Bill and Sue”) its sure to please fans. Recommended here are the sweet love ballad “Shelter” and heart-breakly gorgeous “From There to Back Again.” It feels like a swan song. Maybe it is… “Pacific Coast Highway” is an acceptance of that, as Brian croons “It’s time to move along… sunlights fading and there’s not much left to say.” A satisfying coda for a legendary band.

Joe Walsh “Analog Man”
Rock and roll’s “ordinary average guy” Walsh (ex-Eagles) sounds like your dad ranting on the title track of Analog Man. Walsh still has the guitar chops, and he’s given the full “Wilbury” treatment courtesy of Jeff Lynne (ELO). “Wrecking Ball” is an awesome catchy track, with Walsh’s trademark sound over Lynne’s orchestration. “Lucky That Way” is like a sequel of sorts to “Life’s Been Good” and “Band Played On” is another great sitar/riff heavy rocker. A few songs are a bit too slickly produced, the touching “Family” is nearly ruined by synth effects.”One Day At A Time” starts to sound too much like a Wilbury track, thankfully “Funk 50” and “India” are riff heavy returns to form albeit with thick production values. Nothing really throwaway here, as your analog dad goes full digital – did we mention those big guitar riffs? Yeah, I love ’em too.