Review: Dum Dum Girls: He Gets Me High [A]

Artist: Dum Dum Girls

Album [EP]: He Gets Me High

Released: Feb 2011

Label: Sub Pop Records

Genre: garage rock / lo-fi

Purchase Date: 02 March 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

I loved this band's 2010 debut full-length I Will Be, and when I saw that they had released a new 4-song EP, I bought it two days after it came out. I was not disappointed. They polished their sound a bit, taking maybe a quarter-step away from lo-fi toward an ever-so-slightly richer production. They have kept the '60s garage rock sound, and the four tracks are three rockers and a ballad. The highlights are the title track and a cover of The Smith's "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out," which closes the record.

This is an extremely fun record. Highly recommended.

Rating: A

Album listing at Amazon

Album listing at eMusic

"He Gets Me High" official video

Review: Best Coast: Crazy For You [B+]

Artist: Best Coast

Album: Crazy For You

Released: July 2010

Label: Mexican Summer Records

Genre: indie rock / garage rock

Purchase date: 31 Jan 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

I've said this before, and I'll say it again: December and January are the best months to discover new music, as you scan other critics' annual "Best Of" lists and find things you either missed or dismissed when they were released. Best Coast fell into the latter camp for me when their debut came out in the middle of summer 2010. I half-listened to a track on the radio over the summer, and it failed to move me, so I didn't pay this band much attention until this album started appearing on a number of other critics' lists. I decided to give it a full listen.

As their name implies, this is joyful summer beach music. As with the Dum Dum Girls, another band I really liked this year, Best Coast evokes the sounds of garage rock, surf rock, and '60s girl groups while remaining firmly in the 21st century. Lead singer and songwriter Bethany Cosentino doesn't go for profound or heavy philosophizing with her lyrics, but she sure has a lot of fun with what she's got. This music isn't deep, but it sure is fun. Recommended.

Rating: B+

Album listing at Amazon

Album listing at eMusic

"Boyfriend" official video

Review: Dum Dum Girls: I Will Be [A]

Artist: Dum Dum Girls
Album: I Will Be
Released: March 2010
Label: Sub Pop
Genre: indie pop / noise pop

Purchase Date: 10 June 2010
Format: AAC files
Source: iTunes

Dum Dum Girls is an all-female quartet from LA. Led by singer-songwriter Kristin Gundred (who goes by the stage name "Dee Dee," a nod to The Ramones), the band radiates a cool feistiness that I just loved. Sounding like a distorted, lo-fi cross between a '60s Phil Spector girl group, a '70s punk act, and a '90s alt-rock garage band, these women have both the musicianship and the looks to really pull it off. They had a minor hit on college radio over the summer with the single "Jail La La," a peppy and upbeat song about waking up in a jail cell and not quite remembering how you wound up there.

I really liked this album. The songs are all extremely catchy nods to bands like the Ravonettes but with a very 21st century style and attitude. This was a perfect summer album, great for blasting on the car stereo with the windows rolled down.

Rating: A

"Jail La La" official video

Album listing on Amazon

Album listing on eMusic