Admiral Radley

I Heart California (The Ship)

By Emily Becker
Published: July 14th, 2010 | 1:00pm

Ex-Grandaddy members Jason Lytle and Aaron Burtch joined forces with Earlimart’s Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray to form Admiral Radley, and the four pals’ debut, I Heart California, boasts batty, jacked-up highs and dozy, thick-tongued lows. There’s no doubting the band’s talent—the title track is a nugget of pop beauty that’s polished until it gleams—but they needed an editor. Were it cut down to an EP, it would have been much stronger, free of all the filler that clogs up I Heart California. The title track’s gentle vocals and lyrics overflow with crazy, laid-back images (“Drugs fall out of diaper bags as Midwesterners stare”) that float over repetitive piano chords, which effortlessly transport the listener to the West Coast. “Ghosts of Syllables” and “Red Curbs” pick up the pace while “The Thread” and “Ending of Me” are solid down tempo numbers.

“GNDN” stands for “goes nowhere does nothing” and that about sums it up. Other songs meander (“Chingas in the West”) or are overlong (“I’m All Fucked on Beer”), and two waltzes are one too many: “Threads” feels essential while “I Left U Cuz I Luft U” add little to the final product.

Is it asking too much that a project steeped in the Golden State’s laid-back ways be self-censored? Perhaps. I Heart California exudes the jocularity of music made by close friends, but unfortunately it may have been more fun to make than it is to listen to.

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Admiral Radley official Web site

The Ship Records