Crazy For You

Best Coast's debut record is a lovely little scuzzy pop gem. The band has been building a substantial buzz over the last year or so with a string of underground hit singles and splits, and now they've finally unleashed their first great work to the hungry masses. Best Coast, as the name implies, is a beach-inspired pop outfit, blending fuzzy melodies and simple, lovelorn lyrics to great effect. Crazy For You recalls the kind of heartsick feelings of teenage years, a simpler and more powerful time that we all long for again at some point.

The album is short, but it's somewhat a boon, because this is music that could easily outstay its welcome. A 50+ minute album of fuzzy pop songs is inevitably going to lose its punch after awhile, so it was wise of the band to keep the album short and sweet. One of the more disappointing elements of the album is the reuse of a number of those aforementioned singles, which isn't uncommon, but given the time the band has been working on this record, I was hoping for a brand new set of songs. Nonetheless, the singles have been reworked and sharpened to a finer edge, and the album is truly a testament to razor-sharp love songs. The lyrics may not be the deepest you'll ever hear, but they're heartfelt and powerful in context of this collection of uptempo pop songs.

Best Coast has been regarded through this year as a band to watch, and Crazy For You does not disappoint. A great album for any fan of noise and pop and any combination thereof.

What a great sound. That perfect low-fi mix really suits the sharp and lush vocals. The guitars have that california bounce that is easy to identify, hard to imitate. Some great pop tunes here. That being said, the lyrics water everything down to dumb-dumb status. Remedial lyrics would be giving it more credit than its worth. They're really mindless 12 year old girl writing poetry about the boy she likes lyrics. Its a shame, had there been a more mature lyrical vibe this music would be unstoppable. As it is, its enjoyable, but gets old hearing about the exact same thing in every song. Our Deal is the best song for me.

I don't write reviews for products very often, but I felt compelled to for Best Coast's debut album after seeing the overwhelmingly positive reviews here. While I enjoy their upbeat, easygoing surf-pop sound, I can't possibly give a high rating to an album that sounds like one repetitive 31-minute-long song. I have never listened to an album where I couldn't distinguish one song from the next. If I had to rank the songs, I would fail miserably. Adding on to that is the formulaic repetitiveness of their lyrics. I'm pretty sure every single song consists of choruses or hooks that repeat the same one or two lines at least four consecutive times before moving on to the next set of repeating lyrics. So overall, it's a fun summer record to play, but be prepared to zone out after the second song.