Search - Best Coast :: Crazy for You

Best Coast - Crazy For You

Andrew Vice | Plano, TX | 07/27/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Coasting towards success

The Prestige | CA, USA | 07/27/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With their debut album, Los Angeles popsters Best Coast deliver a flavorful collection of sugary pop tunes slathered in a lo-fi sonic haze that suggests the raw energy, youthful exuberance and addictive hooks of early Ramones mixed with the sweet melodies of the Go Go's. This is pop of the bubblegum variety to be sure, but it's not your typical generic brand. It's pop with a slightly twisted soul and just enough tongue in cheek humor to make it palatable for both teenage girls and middle aged hipsters.



Singer/songwriter Bethany Cosentino pens lyrics from the viewpoint of a down to earth if rather insecure and self conscious every girl who blurts out her feelings with the kind of simple honesty that's as endearing as it is amusing. Whether pining for a boyfriend or repeatedly declaring to a crush that "When I'm with you I have fun," Cosentino isn't out to change the world or to provide any earth shattering truths or revelations. She's content to merely revel in the immediacy of a young woman's feelings as she navigates the pathways of romance and emotional pratfalls. "Maybe I'm just crazy," Cosentino opines in the uber catchy title track "Crazy For You."



Some listeners may be put off by the repetitiveness of the album's subject matter and Cosentino's tendency to repeat lines and words over and over, but then again this is the sound of a band just starting to realize its potential and not stepping very far outside its comfort zone as it shapes its identity. There's time for complexity later on. For now, let's just appreciate the musings of a woman who can sound perfectly sincere when uttering lines like, "I promise you I won't be such a brat. If I promise you anything, I promise you that.""

Breezy Sleazy

John Wraith | Rural Virginia | 08/10/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you liked the Vivian Girls' first LP, this is a no-brainer. It's very Californian, as probably every review that's been written on it has mentioned, in the way that Pavement's Crooked Rain Crooked Rain is, but it's got a taste of the Ramones in there also -- a few songs are in the mold of "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" and that kind of stuff. It's a good album for put on when you're out on your skateboard and the night is just humming, like the Pavement song says. I wish the Vivian Girls' second album had been this good, but then again, life is a veil of tears."