La Luz | It's Alive | Hardly Art | 2013
This all-female quartet from Seattle (whose name is Spanish for "The Light") have released their debut album, and it sounds almost nothing like Seattle, a city with a dreary climate that is still best known for (and trying to get past) its grunge heyday. The key word is almost.
On the surface, this is a light, surf-pop record, like Best Coast or the newest from Washed Out. But once you get past the upbeat riffs and the four-part harmonies, there is some sinister undertones and medleys, especially in "What Good Am I?", a slow and steady track that would fit well in a mixtape for a late night drive or in a 1950s jukebox for heartbroken lovers. It sounds like it came out of a film noir.
This is immediately followed with "Sunstroke", a short and quick-paced instrumental with an organ player to accompany the haunted house aura. "Pink Slime" has a nostalgic yearning for the days of So Cal in the early 1960s, when surfers were kings of the waves and the Beach Boys were soundtrack of their lives.
The title track, which further emphasises the haunted rock that they hide underneath the surf pop, is the strongest track on the album. This song would fit well in a 1960s teen surfing flick that took a wrong turn and became a suspense or horror thriller, or a psychotic acid trip (like Head or Easy Rider). Maybe zombies pop out of the sand and start attacking the blondes on the beach.
UPDATE: The band have cancelled the rest of their tour after being involved in a severe car accident. A fund has been set up to help pay for bills, new equipment, van, etc. For more info on how to help or to find out more about the band, go here.
Grade: B
Recommended tracks: "Sure As Spring", "What Good I Am?", "It's Alive"
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