Search - Marshmallow Coast :: Ride the Lightning

Riding the Lightning

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 01/25/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Marshmallow Coast shows new growth in their third album "Ride the Lightning." And not just because they have one of the coolest names in the gloriously incestuous Elephant 6 Collective. They put together a pleasant little collection, with hints of darkness lurking under the peppy pop.



The first half has a sort of alt-poppy sound, with hints of country cropping up in songs like the vaguely ominous "Ghosts with Wisdom" and lazy-sounding "Darkside of the Moon." It's broken by the occasional odd interlude like "Piano Bit 1," which is basically... a piano melody, and not an exceptional one.



The second half becomes more eerie and psychedelic. "Chameleons" starts off the trend, with a ghostly melody and plinking keyboard, which carries over to the soft, dark "Haunted Blvd." A more whimsical edge comes into songs like the airy "A Pear, De Lune," before skipping back to the country edge in "Jebodiah's Restraints."



Though it was name-dropped at the end of an Of Montreal album, relatively few people know of Marshmallow Coast. While it's technically considered psychedelic pop, "Ride the Lightning" is a sort of quirky country-pop-rock-piano collection with a psychedelic twist. It's a fun little listen, though it has absolutely zero flow.



The music is rather uneven -- his quirky piano and guitar melodies are utterly charming, with good acoustic instrumentals, but his "Piano Bits" are very ordinary. The songwriting is pretty good, with odd little stories about ghosts and newspapers and twisted little pop melodies.



Andy Gonzales' voice is one of the few really weak spots. It isn't a bad voice, but it's too hard and doesn't really flow with the sweeter songs. He fits in best with the singsongy "So And So's With Emeralds In The Sky" and "Dee Et Moi" where he sounds like a slightly nasal Jeff Mangum. The more folkish songs fit him like a three-fingered glove.



Marshmallow Coast is in pretty good form in "Ride the Lightning," a country-tinged pop collection that could use a bit more quirky piano and a bit less twang."