This album should come with a bottle of SPF 30+. It is summer. It is the surf, the sun, the sand, the humid air, the cold beers, the summer romances and the sand in your swimmers. It's happy, carefree and slightly heartbreaking, in the sense that the whole time you're wrapped up in it, you're dreading the fact that it'll soon be over.
A lot has been said about Best Coast and the other 'throwback' bands that have made it big lately, and how long this reverb-y, retro thing will last. But after listening to Crazy For You, I don't think that Best Coast deserve to be lumped in with bands like Surfer Blood or the Drums.
Purely because I think Bethany Cosentino's songwriting and pop sensibilities are timeless. Sure, they're akin to songwriting from a bygone era, but it's the genius simplicity of these songs - the catchy melodies, the straightforward lyrics, and the sheer awesomeness of Cosentino's voice - that make this record hold its ground where others have waned.
And what really drives me wild about this album isn't so much specific songs but tiny tid bits in tunes that just kill me:
Boyfriend's unreal opening and breakdown guitar solos
The "I can't do..." intro words to Crazy For You
The way Cosentino sings the word 'just' in the chorus of The End
The "that's not your deal, that's not my deal" medley at the end of Our Deal
The only rainy day on this whole sunny parade is the bonus track, When I'm With You. Although far and away Best Coast's most well known single to date, it was tacked on the album late and it shows.
In the end it probably made sense to add the song for business reasons or simply to give fans who hadn't had bought the single a chance to nab a copy, but in the end it leaves a slightly uneasy feeling, like the brain freeze at the end of a sugary, delicious ice block.
But that shouldn't take away from the fact that Best Coast have done a phenomenal job on their debut record. It took a lot of singles and a lot of build up to get to this point, but I think they've totally nailed it.
Originally published in Polaroids of Androids
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