Down the "Avenues"
E. A Solinas | MD USA | 10/31/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"In 2003, punkish band Earlimart underwent a radical musical shift -- away from the Pixies, and into the realm of Grandaddy. The five-song EP "Avenues" shows the first glimpses of their new sound: icily symphonic pop with electronic edges.
Achingly swelling strings (dotted by some rather distracting electronic flourishes) open "Color Bars," followed by the fuzzy guitar rock of "Susan's Husband's Gun Shop" and eerie "Interloper." The untitled fourth track is a fun little experimental ditty with church bells and rat-a-tat drums. Finally it ends with the pretty "Parking Lots."
In truth, "Avenues" feels like the lost B-sides of "Everyone Down Here," the first full-length album with this California spacey-pop sound. Not that that's a complaint -- considering the abrupt shift that Aaron Espinoza and Co. were undertaking, it's pretty impressive that it sounds this polished.
Musically we get to see the whole range of what Earlimart can do -- fuzz rock, ethereal pop, and experimental numbers. Pretty piano melodies come up more than once, often paired with marching drums or mellow guitars, and speckled with little waves of electronic sound. Sometimes these sonic flourishes can be annoying, though. Espinoza sounds like he's on heavy tranquilizers, in the tradition of Jason Lytle -- he sings as if he's half locked in a dream.
Earlimart's present sound blossomed from "Avenues." While only five songs long, it's a pleasant display of what the band is able to do."
Pretty good
B. De Gregorio | Scottsdale, AZ United States | 06/19/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Earlimart is a great band, especially with their new sound. This EP introduces this new evolution from typical punk rock into a more sensible digital sound. This was continued with overwhelming success on their 2003 album Everyone Down Here. Compared to EDH, Avenues is quite uninteresting and quite short (only 12 minutes). I recommend skipping this EP and going straight into their full album (which is still short) unless you can find Avenues used for $3 or less."