{"id":19543,"date":"2020-09-24T05:30:39","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T09:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=19543"},"modified":"2020-08-31T12:40:00","modified_gmt":"2020-08-31T16:40:00","slug":"album-review-blaine-campbell-and-the-california-sound-under-the-tidal-wave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2020\/09\/24\/album-review-blaine-campbell-and-the-california-sound-under-the-tidal-wave\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Blaine Campbell and the California Sound \u2013 Under the Tidal Wave"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"It\u2019s no small feat to create a body of work that is simultaneously (a) chiefly inspired by the work of one particular artist and (b) distinctive and artistically significant on its own merits. The Spongetones did it with their series of Beatles-inspired albums, earning them both a spot on the Children of <\/i>Nuggets<\/i> compilation and a special place in my heart and LP collection. And more recently, The Explorers Club have done it with their superb Beach Boys pastiches \u2013 sometimes beating the Wilsons at their own game \u2013 though they\u2019ve since widened their musical scope. They remain excellent and recommended in the most enthusiastic terms.<\/p>\n

Blaine Campbell\u2019s approach falls somewhere between the early and current Explorers Club: with Under the Tidal Wave<\/i>, he has fashioned an album that\u2019s unmistakably the work of a Brian Wilson acolyte. But he has managed the difficult and impressive feat of channeling those signature stylistic influences into something that\u2019s both original and \u2013 most significantly \u2013 that oftentimes doesn’t sound at all like the Beach Boys.<\/p>\n

Under the <\/i>T<\/i>idal Wave<\/i> is filled with chiming, memorable, good-timing rock \u2018n roll. But familiar melodic progressions and chord changes are tweaked just enough to (a) keep listeners on their toes and (b) make fellow musicians express a knowing smile. From the chorus of the record\u2019s opening cut, \u201cShoutin\u2019 Don\u2019t Count,\u201d Campbell puts the strategy into practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHappy Faces\u201d combines a sexy bossa nova vibe with a sunny, Southern California feel, and a gently rocking chorus. The wordless interlude (ba-ba-ba) of the song\u2019s midsection is lovely, and perfectly fits the song\u2019s character. The old-timey \u201cSmall Town Girl\u201d suggests the influence of late \u201860s\/early \u201870s Warner Brothers artists and their like-minded associates (Newman, Nilsson, Parks et. al.). It\u2019s a bit of a goof, but well-executed nonetheless.<\/p>\n

The moody \u201cSomeday You\u2019ll Be Mine\u201d is a bit of an outlier: it\u2019s an overt Beach Boys pastiche that <\/i>captures the qualities that made pre-Pet Sounds<\/i> era Beach Boys so special. But \u2013 again \u2013 it doesn\u2019t copy their sound in a wholesale manner. The album\u2019s title track is a lovely tribute of sorts to the Pet Sounds<\/i>-era instrumentals performed by the Wrecking Crew. (I was going to write \u201cinimitable\u201d Wrecking crew, but Campbell imitates them quite well.<\/p>\n

The album deftly moves away from tribute mode with \u201cBlue dolphin.\u201d The song\u2019s lyrical concerns may fit into the SoCal vibe, but the plaintive melody doesn\u2019t draw its character form obvious sources. Vaguely Indian percussion textures take the music another place. And this time a wordless interlude evokes The Association. The creamy, piano-centric \u201cOur Life\u201d features a lead guitar break reminiscent of George Harrison\u2019s solo work.<\/p>\n

Wurlitzer electric piano and a kinetic trip-hop vibe characterize \u201cIt Feels Like It\u2019s Real,\u201d the Side Two opener. The tune\u2019s lyrics describe the L.A. experience in knowing detail. Some truly appealing overdubbed saxophone work chats and a wonderfully busy (yet subtle) bass line adorn the shimmering \u201cSurrender.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost Perfect\u201d is shot through with sorrow and regret, with a lyrical approach reminiscent of \u2013 of all things \u2013 Pink Floyd\u2019s \u201cEclipse.\u201d It\u2019s certainly emotionally resonant in this pandemic era, but it\u2019s uncharacteristically morose in the context of the album\u2019s overall themes. (That said, it\u2019s among my favorite cuts on the LP; make of that what you will.)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere She Used to Play\u201d is yet another song with lovely, thoughtful musical textures; the vibraphone splashed throughout the mix is a nice touch, and as usual, the vocal arrangement is flawless. Perhaps a nod to \u201cCaroline, No,\u201d Side Two\u2019s featured instrumental is titled \u201cCaroline\u2019s Rainbow.\u201d Thanks to its chromatic harp, sweeping strings, sonorous and reverberating electric guitar and oh-so-\u201967 drum fills, a listener new to Pet Sounds<\/i> wouldn\u2019t find it out of character with that album.<\/p>\n

Under the Tidal Wave<\/i> closes with the appropriately titled \u201cTime to Say Goodbye.\u201d It\u2019s a bit of a tearjerker, with lovely bits of wood block, more chromatic and close harmony adorning its spare arrangement. It\u2019s a fine way to finish a record.<\/p>\n

Campbell\u2019s core group is The California Sound, and all of the musicians \u2013 Campbell, David Cook, Chris Moore and Natalie Fratino \u2013 play multiple instruments. Guest musicians include notables Probyn Gregory and Jim Laspesa, among others.<\/p>\n

Album production costs being what they are, it\u2019s understandable when an artist opts for a blank inner sleeve. But it\u2019s a sign of Campbell\u2019s confidence in his music that he prints the lyrics. They read as well as they sound. But Under the Tidal Wave<\/i> is designed as a listening experience, and you should indeed listen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s no small feat to create a body of work that is simultaneously (a) chiefly inspired by the work of one particular artist and (b) distinctive and artistically significant on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,51,65,73],"tags":[4304],"class_list":["post-19543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-release","category-pop","category-review","category-vinyl","tag-blaine-campbell","cat-49-id","cat-51-id","cat-65-id","cat-73-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19543"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19545,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19543\/revisions\/19545"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}