Artist.......: Greater California
Album........: Somber Wurlitzer
Label........: Earthling
Genre........: Indie
Catnr........: 0005
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: Dec-23-2005
str.date.....: Oct-04-2004
quality......: VBR/44.1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: http://www.earthlingrecords.com
track title time
01. The Appearing 04:01
02. Missing Summer 05:07
03. Looking in 04:04
04. May Day 04:04
05. Jersey Thursday 02:40
06. In Scarlet 03:28
07. Patterns 05:36
08. Reappearing 01:10
09. Portuguese Hall 03:06
10. Somber Wurlitzer 02:48
Runtime 36:04 min
Size 50,9 MB
Release Notes:
Long Beach-based Greater California recorded its
sophomore album in dimly lit rooms between the
hours of midnight and five in the morning over the
course of a year, which goes a long way to explain
the sonic mood of Somber Wurlitzer. Launched with
the bleak but beautiful "The Appearing," which
sounds like an outtake from R.E.M.'s Automatic for
the People, the band quickly explores
Zombies-styled psychedelia on "Looking In" and
keeps to the retro-feel for "Jersey Thursday." As
the disc's title hints, Greater California has
built an impressive concept album around the
hypnotic tones of its recently acquired Wurlitzer
electric piano, however it doesn't always succeed.
The Association-inspired harmonies on "Portuguese
Hall" can't salvage the song's infectiously grating
design, and the album's closing title cut isn't the
pensive opus one suspects it could have been.
Still, the band uses 1960s pop touches with the
same effectiveness as Beck on "Missing Summer," and
the Shins on the sparkling "In Scarlet," making
Somber Wurlitzer a disc to own if you're a fan of
the aforementioned.