Notes From The Underworld

LOCAL! 2nd album from Oakland-based retro pop/prog rock band. First self produced LP, “City of Love” was nominated for best debut album at CMAs in 02. Also received a 2001 SF Weekly Award for Best Pop Band. Songs are mixture of dancey, retro indie pop w/heavy electro guitar based prog rock. Fem vox (Angelina Moysov – orig fr/Russia) are strong & sweet & have a foreign feel w/her accent. Generally I enjoyed the upbeat tracks more.
NO FCCs Picks – 3, 4, 5, 7, 2 -natalie

1 – happy pop w/cutesy sing along lyrics, jumpy piano; heavy guitar a bit much
2 – swaying and sweet pop, a little quirky w/electro bits and xylophone; sounds a bit like Belle and Sebastian/Camera Obscura w/a retro sound
3! – faster beat, more retro pop w/organ and percussion; great vocals on this song; really fun instrumental at end section with jazzy bass, guitar and organ
4! – the “single” track on this album; retro bossa nova/jazz sound w/prominent piano & organ; lyrics a bit boring, but great sound w/dancey bass
5! – yea! Silly motorcycle sound intro; retro spy music w/twangy surf guitar & soft vocals, along w/some electro space sounds; also, song in Russian
6 – mellower track, a little too sweet/poppy for me w/lyrics about being in love
7! – jumpy fast beat w/driving guitar & deeper vocals, another dancey or bounce around track; weird interlude where it fades out & back in
8 – another mellower track, soft/sweet vocals; lilting guitar but still a bit electro heavy; again, a little too sweet (for me)
9 – heavy, fuzzy guitar pop w/hint of blues rock; fast-paced beat & driving bass
10 – acoustic guitar intro, tapping percussion & spoken vox; transitions fr/heavy electro guitar to sweet piano pop; cheesy wailing guitar solo midway
11 – slow pop w/soft guitar & floating vocals, w/heavier drum/guitar interludes