Most of us have seen the sea, a constant coastal reminder predictably wedged somewhere between the land and the sky and most of us will have experienced sand, whether it’s the toe-curling, skin-grafting shingle variety found on beaches around England’s North-East coastline or the white, fiery dusty variety found in Devon and Cornwall. And there may even be those amongst us who have been brave enough to wade a hundred yards out at Fistral Bay and balance precariously on some featherweight foam rectangle not knowing whether to stand, lie or fall flat on our face in the water. The point I am making is that you don’t have to be Jack Johnson to appreciate a bit of the wet stuff, nor have lifelong membership to chirpy outdoor lifestyle retailers like Fat Face or Billabong, you just need to remember what it was like to have the sand wriggling amongst your toes the last time you were on Blackpool Pleasure Beach. And if you don’t remember, then this should provide a timely reminder.
A follow-up to the band’s respectable 2006 debut, ‘Nooner’ (produced by Dave Collins of Jack Johnson, No Doubt and Ben Harper), ‘Afternooner’ sees the laid-back rockers reapply the sunscreen on a dozen or so tracks that redefine the band’s scatty, desultory grasp of acoustic surf-rock. Supported by a profile on Myspace almost as buoyant as the boards beneath their feet, the North Californian have this time roped in Andy Zenczak and John Cuniberti (Dave Matthews, The Grateful Dead, Aerosmith). The result is a frisky and cheerful brew of toothsome vocal harmonies, crisp but languid rim-shots, vaguely Latin rhythms, and sh*tloads of scratchy, twiddly, syncopated guitars. Standouts include the snake-hipped and slippery, ‘How You Gonna’ and the spicey, sweet homery of the Southern fried, ‘Smile So Wide’.
Much as you’d expect, it’s not going to challenge you intellectually. No one gets angry, no one gets hurt and no one gets arrested. Everyone just gets stoned.
Suitable for reef or reefer.
BAG OF TOYS – ‘AFTERNOONER’ – OUT NOW