Review: Best Coast - Crazy for You (* *)

For young writers and aspiring musicians, some of the most frequently heard advice has got to be “write what you know.” This is obvious counsel, to be sure, but true in many respects, especially in the realm of pop music where people generally respect honesty in songwriting. We like artists who share their stories with us and reveal the more intimate details of their lives, allowing us to connect with them through their experiences. But sometimes, even when a musician is eager to get personal, we find there simply isn’t much about them that we care to hear. Such is the case with the latest lo-fi, beach-pop phenomenon Best Coast, fronted by puzzlingly popular newcomer Bethany Cosentino and featuring former Vivian Girl Ali Koehler along with Bethany’s former babysitter (seriously), mutli-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Adrift somewhere between SBhe & Him-style balladry, polka-dotted 50s girl groups, and fuzzy, Vivian Girls-esque pop-punk, Best Coast makes music that is hazy and sun-soaked, and it’s not difficult to hear the appeal in Cosentino’s casually strong voice. But on the band’s debut, Crazy for You, Cosentino’s inane songwriting fails to engage on any level and her vacuous insights into love and loneliness reveal no depth whatsoever to her personality. (Read the rest @ In Review Online)

Review: Weezer - Raditude (* *)

Chances are you don’t need a Weezer history lesson and providing one here would be particularly pointless, as there's really no need to create any kind of context in reviewing the band’s latest album, Raditude. One look at that flying dog and cheesy, lightning-style font on the cover can give you as good an idea as anything else as to what you can expect from this seventh effort by Rivers Cuomo and company, who have consistently baffled and too often underwhelmed fans and critics over the past ten years or so. It seems Cuomo wouldn’t have it any other way; the nearly 40 year-old man-child is anything but reserved when it comes to his music and apparently thrives on defying convention, logic and even at times good taste. So after opening the singing/songwriting up to his bandmates for 2007’s Red Album (with uneven results, to say the least), Cuomo now resumes full control (well, sorta) but somehow manages to make an even more eclectic record with Raditude, which is light-hearted and occasionally fun but flounders under the weight of its many scattered ideas and general excesses. (Continue Reading...)

Review: Discovery - LP (* *)

(Full review at In Review Online)

Combining minds from two of the more buzzed-about new indie bands may seem like an easy recipe for success, but I think we’ve all learned that collaborations and supergroups of any variety should be approached with reservation. Having said that, I enjoy both keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij’s Vampire Weekend and singer Wes Miles’ band Ra Ra Riot, so I maintained some excitement about their new project, Discovery, though I was worried a bit when I heard the two early-release singles, “Orange Shirt” and “Osaka Loop Line.” The cheesy keyboards and layers of synthetic percussion seemed harmless and fun but not especially substantial or even very interesting, so I waited with some trepidation to hear the whole record. Now, revealed in all its auto-tuned, synth-tastic glory, LP has confirmed Discovery as one of the most baffling and unnecessary side projects in recent memory. (Continue Reading...)