DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: BEST COAST AND TAMARYN…WHO’S THE MAZZY STARR OF THE WEST COAST?
A friend of mine recently described Best Coast’s new album, “Crazy for You” as sounding like “Mazzy Star if Hope Sandoval was from Southern California.” I love the analogy, as any chance my teenage love for Hope can be rekindled I jump at it….but I’d save it for another Californa duo, Tamaryn’s “The Waaves”. Thanks to our difference of opinion I’ve just set you up to compare and contrast dueling Cali duos for the rest of their recorded careers.
Best Coast – “Crazy For You”
It is easy to fall for Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino. For those of you not familiar with Bethany, she was the glowing vocalist on the “All Summer” track put out by Converse.(I love that song). She seems like the perfect girl, outside of her love for her cat…and cats as a whole in general. Seriously check out her blog, the album cover, her lyrics where she wishes her cat could talk…it’s a bit much. OK, beyond her future as a lonely cat lady she seems pretty cool. She’s goofy, has an obsessive love for all things Seinfeld, and writes some hooky pop gems. Inspired by their sunny home state of California (Hence the moniker “Best Coast”) all of the songs on “Crazy For You” are washed in a surfer glow vibes with tinges of old school 50’s girl groups singing about her boyfriend, summertime, the beach…and weed. Like I said it’s a love letter to California. They love their weed here. Weed and Avocados. I’ll never understand it. I can’t figure out avocados but I can figure out Best Coast. They married simple hooks and melodies with simpler lyrics. Sometimes you just want to relax when you listen to music. Bethany’s voice takes each minimalist track and raises them to greater heights of carefree bliss.
Highlights: “Crazy For You,” “Boyfriend,” “When I’m With You,” “Our Deal,” “Happy”
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Tamaryn – “The Wavves”
Sexy slow burning shoegaze set to the hushed vocals from the real heir to the Hope Sandoval throne. Reverb, Fuzz, and ethereal vocals are only part of the equation as you listen to their lead single, Sandstone…There’s a lot going on in each song. They would seem to be the anti-Best Coast. Not that there’s anything wrong with that
Highlights: “Sandstone,” “Cascades,” “Choir of Winter”