Lazarus Beach
Skybucket
These guys must’ve thought the Beach Boys were singing “Let’s go trippin’ now” instead of “Let’s go surfin’ now.” Fans of Brian Wilson’s spaced-out period will love this Birmingham group’s avant pop, recorded at their appropriately named Alamalibu Studios.
It’s apparent on first listen that they’re studio rats — the overdubbing is so thick it requires a knife. No wonder the album was a year in the making. But when the intricate soundscapes and melancholy harmonies bring to mind Wilson’s “Smile,” Wilco’s “Summerteeth” and the Waterboys’ “This Is the Sea,” it’s happy slogging.
And the stream-of-consciousness, off-the-wall lyrics only make it a delightfully delirious experience not soon to be forgotten. Here’s an excerpt from “Mexico (Every Last Buffalo)”:
A town conceived in the ’70s
with plans inspired by an airbrushed landscape on a van.
With blueprints drawn with a boot-heel scratched in sand.
The boomers boomed there with their Astroturf in hand.
Steady as she grows,
Down to Mexico … worth every damn buffalo.
Everybody sprawl. Let’s find out how space-age these polymers can be.
Tracks
1. L. Roi
2. Mexico (Every Last Buffalo)
3. Archetype
4. Falling Out Of Favor With The Neighbors
5. Action Figure Graveyard Pt. 1
6. Action Figure Graveyard Pt. 2 (Lazarus Beach)
7. The Smile Of Your Shadow
8. Porcelain DeLorean (Segue A)
9. Local Moon
10. Only The Messenger
11. There There Dear (Segue B)
12. The Final If And When
13. A Natural Machine
Total time: 36:15
External links
artist’s site
amazon.com
iTunes Store
