Style: Nu-Oldies; compare to … The Beach Boys
Top tracks: “Isn’t It Time,” “From There To Back Again,” “Summer’s Gone”
Coming two decades after The Beach Boys’ last full-length release, their latest could be the most bittersweet album of all time. The harmonies may sound like the old-time Beach Boys, but it’s soon obvious that actually, the Beach Boys just got old. The glaring problems of the record are all in the lyrics. Never mind that the title track is a second-rate rehash of “God Only Knows,” with the “boys” singing callback lines like, “We used to get around,” and “Spring vacation, good vibrations … They said it wouldn’t last, but we’re still havin’ a blast!” Such lines are a somber clue that this album probably didn’t need to be made at all. Fortunately, this summery music reminds one of how brilliant The Beach Boys really were back in their heyday … which was a very long time ago.
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