There has been a steadily growing buzz surrounding Best Coast's debut album "Crazy For You" that began months ago with the release of the band's early eps and singles. Now, it's my opinion that too much blogger buzz is usually a harbinger of bad things to come. More often than not decent, but not great, bands like Girls, are overhyped to the point that their decent, but not great, album ends up ultimately being a let down. Even worse, absolutely shitty bands like Neon Indian are crowned musical saviours. I can't tell you how many times I tried to listen to "Psychic Chasms" wondering what it was I was missing before realizing that blog buzz is, more often than not, a self-perpetuating bullshit machine. I would go so far as to argue that there is an indirect proportion between the quality of a band, and/or record, and the amount of pre-release buzz they receive. So it was with great trepidation that I approached Best Coast initially. Their early singles certainly hit my soft spot; girl fronted garage pop, but they didn't rock my world nearly as much as similar artists the Vivian or Dum Dum Girls. Then "Boyfriend" leaked. A simple pop song with a slightly downbeat flavor that reflected the longing in mainwoman Bethany Cosentino's gorgeous voice, "Boyfriend" completely captivated. Suddenly all those earlier singles sounded like a prelude to something grander, and any trepidation I had quickly turned to anticipation.Thankfully, "Crazy For You" does not disappoint. More than that though, it actually merits, matches and one-ups all of the hype leading to its release. Yeah, it's that good. At the center of the album's success is Bethany's voice. The band's early singles were typically fuzzed out affairs that buried her vocals under layers of noise. Even while maintaining plenty of lo-fi jangle, "Crazy For You" offers cleaner production that highlights her voice; and what a voice it is. Reminiscent of sweet, but powerful, 60s girl group vocals, Bethany possesses the range to coo, snarl or soar in equal goose bump inducing measure. Her voice is absolutely intoxicating, and easily the most powerful instrument on the record.
Vocals alone does not a great album make though. The album wouldn't be the work it is without top-notch songwriting and instrumentation, of which "Crazy For You" has in spades. As a songwriter, Bethany has crafted 13 pitch-perfect sun-soaked pop ditties about things like boys, weed, boys, summer, boys, cats, and, if you can believe it, boys. Lyrically Bethany is a one woman girl group updated for modern sensibilities. Traditional lovesick lyrics are punctuated by nods to sex and drugs with a sly wit and humor that will have fans shouting out lyrics and grinning ear to ear, as they recently did at Pitchfork when Bethany delivered the lines "I lost my job, I miss my mom, I wish my cat could talk," during a performance of "Goodbye," one of the album's many highlights.
Musically, as well, the band keeps it seemingly simple but with plenty of twists, turns and subtle flourishes to warrant a close listen. Bethany and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno create a rock solid sound that is equal parts jangle pop and traditional girl group. At times Bethany's vocals are multi-tracked to achieve the girl group sound, which is complemented by the band's simple restrained playing in places and contrasted in others when they go for broke on tracks like "I Want To." Some songs, like "Honey," "Boyfriend" and "When The Sun Don't Shine," features a bit of shoegaze inflected rock that provides comforting layers of guitar to match Bethany's voice. Overall, there is a lot more musical variety present here than what was evidenced on the band's early singles. That variety, along with Bethany's songwriting and vocals, make "Crazy For You" one of the most satisfying repeat listens of the year.
So yeah, for once the Internet hype was right. Best Coast pretty much rules. They are the whole package, and "Crazy For You" will deservedly end up on a lot of year end lists for 2010. I don't recommend waiting that long to pick it up though, because this is a summer album through and through. Play this at the beach, the pool, on the front porch, the back deck, in your car with the windows down, wherever. Just play it. I promise that you'll be happy that you did.
Wheeler says: "This is the official mid to end-of-summer soundtrack, so declares Wheeler."
"When I'm With You" 7" version
Interview and early version of "Crazy For You" live
"Goodbye"
"Boyfriend"
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