Super(B) Exitos

“Super(b) Exitos” Sofa City Sweetheart
Extraordinary indie pop, power pop and jangle rock. Sofa City Sweetheart is the solo project of L.A.-based singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, Juan Antonio Lopez — who handles all of the writing, arranging and engineering on this album. The songs feature catchy melodies with superb production reminiscent of the Beatles (or really, Paul McCartney, since this is all Lopez, with a little help from his friends). An album intended to be listened to and enjoyed from start to finish — and you should!
— Francis

Recommended: 7, 1, 9, 10, 3, 4. NO FCCs detected.

1. (3:00) The Same Old Song (You Were Always On My Mind) – Mid-tempo jangle pop-rock with a nice bounce. Organ, bass and snappy drum line. Fun la-di-da’s in chorus. ****
2. (2:27) Stanley Waited – Like a Spaghetti Western with strummed guitar, galloping drums and strings. Intriguing lyrics about missed opportunities, waiting to achieve life’s goals, as our hero rides across the desert.
3. (4:40) Annie Stays Home – Slow and pensive, with jangly guitar, cello and Beach Boys-like harmonies. WATCH FALSE ENDING AT 4:00. Ends with fingerpicked guitar and strings. ***
4. (4:07) Gwen – Bouncy show-tune feeling — organ, piano, guitar, and cracking drums. First of several tunes that are like the Beatles White album. ***
5. (8:17) The Instrumental (Does This Path Have A Heart) – Epic instrumental, with background “Oooh’s.” Starts with fragile, fingerpicked guitar. Builds until it reaches its climax with shredding guitar — ends quietly.
6. (2:07) Floating – Floating, lilting ditty — again with no lyrics, just falsetto “Oooh’s” and warm harmonies. Guitar, bass and bongo drums.
7. (3:20) Stop The Thinking – Sharp, guitar-driven power pop. Fuzz guitar under catchy, bright, doubled vocals. Piano. Spanish brass in lead break. WATCH FALSE FADE-OUT AT 2:33 — ends with spare vocals over fingerpicked guitar. ****
8. (2:44) In This Lifetime – 70s-sounding pop-rock. Beatles-esque harmonized lead vocals over thumping drums, organ and bumping bass.
9. (4:33) I Am On My Own – Fingerpicked guitar ballad reminiscent of the Beatles on the White album or early Elton John. (See “Love Song.”) Dreamy vocals. WATCH FALSE ENDING AT 3:15. String trail-out. ****
10. (4:36) Song For Alex – Starts as swelling chamber pop. Shifts to bouncy power pop with great retrospective lyrics. Wistful vocals over organ, jangly guitar and strings. ***
11. (1:50) Surfin’ On The Milky Way – Swing-y, jazzy piano instrumental. Very club-like.
12. (5:38) So Long/Lucky ‘Nuff – Sad, mid-tempo piano closer. Has a bit of a jazzy feeling from track 11 — but adds big drums and electric guitar as the song goes on. WATCH FALSE ENDING AT 4:35. Ends with a completely different tune.