Rutili (aka Califone) and Ross (worked with Shearwater, Spoon, and Daniel Johnston among others) team up for a album of extremely warped and layered ‘60s-esque pop. It’s like they set out to make a Beach Boys record, then sabotaged the process with great enthusiasm. Catchy chorus harmonies and guitar strumming rise above junkyard percussion and unidentifiable noises. The carefully cultivated anarchy works. I think Tim Rutili is one of the great American songwriters; if it’s possible to compare him to anyone, he’s like a much more abstract and introverted Tom Waits. Favorites: 2, 3, 6, 8. No FCCs detected.

1. (1:01)—Ambient intro. Sci-fi sound clips.
2. *(2:55)—Slow, deep, glitchy, trip-hop beat. Wistful. Noisy feedback solo. RIYL Grandaddy.
3. *(4:51)—Strong Califone feel. Country blues beginning. Loping beat, handclaps, background feedback.
4. (3:17)—Mid-tempo power pop. Woozy background record drone, buzzing keyboards.
5. (7:02)—Slow. Chunky, dissonant, Red Red Meat rock alternates with Sgt. Pepper acid dreaming.
6. *(5:14)—Med-tempo, psychedelic ballad. Deep bass, soft heartbeat. Beachy. Long, sun-baked, spaced-out ending.
7. (4:01)—Mid-tempo bluesy crawl. Nice pedal steel. Ragged but not aggressive.
8. *(9:57)—Slow, deep, and moody. Simple electronic beat, warm piano. Droning, glitchy intro. Second half is chopped-up looping drone with no vocals, RIYL Fennesz.