Band : Best Coast
Album title : Crazy For You
Label : Mexican Summer – Wichita
Distributor : V2 Benelux
Release date : 02/08/2010
Release : CD

When I first heard this album (a first session followed immediately by seconds and thirds...) I thought, “Well, here's sure success formula: you get a young woman to sing in an adolescent style with lyrics to match, and put some vintage guitar generated late '50s/ early '60s guitar on top...in a style reminiscent of the Surf Pop sounds of those days!”.

Before I found out the actual truth of the band's origins, I put them down to being either Dutch or English, but the trio consisting of singer/ songwriter/ guitarist Bethany Cosentino (a child actor whom, at age 15, turned down offers from major labels to start up her musical career...much to the dismay of her parents, but Bethany then got into songwriting, made a way of her own the hard way), multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno, and drummer Ali Koehner (formerly of Vivian Girls, which he left to become Best Coast's permanent drummer in July of last, after having served as a live replacement for some time) are from Los Angeles. The young New York born Cosentino claims she knows Bruno (now her boyfriend) from having been her childhood babysitter, then from helping her produce tracks for the previous band Pocahaunted (which released a staggering 13 full-length albums and an additional 10 singles and EPs during their short lifespan – the band originated in 2006, and had 25 releases in their first year, mostly on vinyl...the band still goes on today, although without Cosentino). During 2009 Best Coast released a slew of EPs and singles on different indie labels (EPs: Make You Mine on Group Tightener and Where the Boys Are on Blackest Rainbow; vinyl singles Best Coast on Art Fag and When I'm With You on Black Iris), followed by more of the same in early 2010 (EP Something In The Way on Post Present Medium; vinyl single Far Away/ Everybody's Gone on an undisclosed label, and the split single with Jeans Wilder titled Tough Guys/ Up All Night on the Atelier Ciseaux imprint) before signing to the Mexican Summer label for the release of their debut album.

The 12 songs on the album may last only 28 ½ minutes per listening session, but they're very pleasurable sessions indeed! Bethany gets great (girlie?) backing vocals which go together with hers very well (hey, it just hit me, Ali may very well be a girl too!). To give you a foretaste of what's on the album, the band posted a sample of the album opening “Boyfriend” at myspace.com/bestcoast, alongside 3 full-length non-album tracks and a couple of video clips (there's also music in the 3 interview videos). Great stuff, and make one want for the Summer, when one can sit out on the porch with a cool drink, the stereo cranking out Bethany's adolescent fascinations in the background!

95/100

Tony.