They Heart California

© Admiral Radley

Everyone needs friends, but artists really need friends. To be more specific, they need friendly, impartial perspectives to listen / read / see their stuff before the world listens / reads / sees it. Because their friends help them weed out the really bad stuff while helping to reinforce the really good stuff. Without that, genius and utter stupidity bump right up against each other, totally unaware of which is which.

Which makes us wonder if Admiral Radley has any friends. In their debut release, I Heart California, wonderful songs like "GNDN" and "Chingas in the West" are forced to share space weaker efforts like "I'm all F***ed on Beer" and "The Thread."

But we're not writing to tell you why you shouldn't listen to I Heart California. We're writing to tell you why you should. Because the songs that are good are so good that you want to listen and listen and listen. (And tell your friends.)

One thing that dominates this album is humor. There is the humor that you struggle to get ("I'm All F***ed Up on Beer," we're talking to you) and there is the humor that makes you smile and look whimsically out the window. "GNDN" (an ode to the Star Trek acronym "goes nowhere does nothing") is of the latter variety. The dreamy lyrics and delivery are perfectly matched with spacey (movie spacey) music that take it way beyond the novelty.

Also excellent is "I Left You Cuz I Left You," "Lonesome Co.," "Chingas in the West," and "Red Curbs," which has the greatest little reverb running throughout that provides the song with just the slightest bit of edge. "Sunburn Kids" is great for dancing (if you dance by jumping around and waving your fists), but the title track disappoints. It's just too repetitive, too married to its concept.

At its very best I Heart California is an ethereal romp. It is emotionally strong, musically inventive and has an excellent sense of humor. At its worst, it's wearing polka dots and plaid. It has spinach in its teeth. It really needs a friend. The more you listen to it, though, the more you forgive it for what it lacks, and love it for what it does. Just like, you guessed it, a friend.