Best Coast - Crazy For You

Best Coast - Crazy For You (2010)

Genre: Indie Pop, Surf Rock

I was first introduced to this pop rock duo upon first playing Rocksmith years ago, and I honestly wasn't a fan of the one song they had in that game. Regardless, I thought I'd check them out and see if they had any other songs I might enjoy. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

Right off the bat, I can totally see where these two are coming from with their influences. This is a record that seeks to indulge on the simple, upbeat formula of 50's and 60's girly pop, as well as some of the nuances of classic surf rock. At 31 minutes, it's not a long album, but with the overall formula of the songwriting being pretty consistent, it tends to drag down after a while. The opening track Boyfriend gives a clear indication of where the music is going, both sonically and lyrically.

Having crushes and summery days are about as deep as the lyrics will go on here, and for the context, it's not necessarily a bad thing. This is certainly the kind of cheerful, up-beat music you would play on a nice summer day, while out on the beach or whatnot. I just don't see myself being able to enjoy this all the way through in one sitting. This is especially true, considering that Cosentino's ability as a lyricist, is certainly lacking. If anything, The End and Summer Mood are two songs that I would definitely add to some sort of feel-good playlist. I love their dream-like aesthetic and the reverb on it certainly made me feel some type of way. And to be fair, I acknowledge that all these songs do seem to use reverb to some extent, but I just found it more effective on these two.

Aside from those two tracks though, there were certainly a few others I enjoyed quite a bit, but most came off as a bit generic. I did enjoy the vibe that this record gave off though, as it's certainly nice to enjoy some more care-free, simple pop rock tunes from time to time, but I just wish these two could have deviated a bit from the basic, formulaic songwriting. For what it is, it's certainly catchy and cutesy at times, but I expected more. And as a side note, I did enjoy Bethany Cosentino's laid-back vocal delivery, as I thought it fit really well within the context of the music.

C

Favorite Tracks: Boyfriend, The End, Summer Mood, Honey

Least Favorite Track: Each And Everyday

Wings - Wild Life

Wings - Wild Life (1971)

Genre: Rock, Lo-Fi

With a newly formed group, McCartney seemed to backtrack on musical ideas with this debut. Personally, this is a pretty big disappointment, especially after he had just released Ram. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

I fully understand why many consider this to be one of, if not the worst McCartney project to ever come into fruition. From the first time I listened to it, I thought it was a joke. The group that would later be known for Band On The Run sound cutesy, awkward, and even unprofessional throughout most of this record. Makes me wonder if Macca meant to put out a subpar record for his standards. As negative as it seems that I'm being towards this record, I only say it like this because Ram was such a great record, personally, that it's really puzzling how it was followed up by this.

This record isn't all bad, though. Love Is Strange, while being a cover, is quite beautiful, if only a tad bit long in its instrumental intro. Tomorrow, has a pretty basic start, but evolves into a beautiful outro jam. The sappy love song I Am Your Singer, while short, is perhaps the highlight on here, which includes a cute duet by Macca and Linda. It's got  a lovely, simple, but effectively very Paul-like melody, which can't really be said about some of the other songs on here. 

The opening track Mumbo, is a nonsensical rock jam and exercise in wailing vocals, which unlike the song Monkberry Moon Delight on his previous album, Paul actually sounds quite obnoxious and irritating at times throughout this song. I can admit that it grew on me a bit over time, but I can perfectly understand how this song can be seen as the worst. Then there's Bip Bop, which is just straight up lo-fi garbage, with its repetitive riff and strange "growly whispered" vocal performance. The title track Wild Life plays out like another exercise in wailing vocals throughout, and at nearly 7 minutes, drags on for way too long. 

In short, the first side of this record is mostly just throwaway tracks, save for Love Is Strange. While you're not getting anything spectacular on the second side, it still offers enough of McCartney's charm for me to still recommend this album for anyone who may be a fan of his, or even people who are into lo-fi indie rock, because this is really what I would describe it as, even though "indie" as we know it nowadays wasn't a thing at the time. But for everyone else, this can easily be skipped. And in all fairness, even the worst songs on this record have grown on me just a bit over time.

C

Favorite Tracks: Love Is Strange, I Am Your Singer, Tomorrow

Least Favorite Track: Bip Bop