Everyone Down Here [Enhanced]

I discovered Earlimart when I saw them support Grandaddy in London earlier this year and they almost outshone the main act. The diverse range of tracks they played was an absolute joy and there was not a dull moment during their set. The same can be said for this album.

Earlimart mix various influences gained through experience and peers to mix acoustic guitars and mid tempo vocals with strings to create beautiful music. The album opener 'We're so happy (we left the piano in the truck)' is a complex, layered guitar driven track, jarring through with Espinoza's lethargic observations. Further on Espinoza draws influence from Sebadoh with a structured rock sound - most notably on 'We drink on the job' and 'Burning the Cow'.

The sorrowful observations that Espinoza incorporates in his songs outline the talent of Earlimart. 'The Movies' is a blissful piano laden track accompanied by slide guitar and crystal clear smooth vocals. 'Night, Nite' the albums closing track is the perfect lullaby, a beautiful but searching track highlighting the concept of the bittersweet hope of a better tomorrow.

By drawing from a range of artists as diverse as Smog (Hospital) to Sonic Youth (Lost at Sea) Earlimart have produced a searching yet effective poppy album with a completely original sound.

It starts off with the mellow "We're So Happy (We Left the Piano in the Truck)" solid fuzz-chime-rocker "We Drink on the Job," and the melancholy "The Movies," with a gentle piano-percussion solo that is among the best moments of the album. But it strays into blistering hard-rockin' turf with "Lost At Sea," and hits midpoint with a weird little thirty-second instrumental that seems to be mostly random strumming and feedback. It sounds like they're unsure whether to continue as they are, or go back to their old sound.

But Earlimart makes up its mind quickly, and gets the hard rock out of their systems. The rock-y sound continues with the ear-splitting "Burning the Cow," only to die away in favor of a new sound. This spacey-folk sound climaxes with
"Hospital" and the eerie "Big Ol' Black," before rounding off with a tinkling, sputtering "Untitled" and the lullaby-like "Nite Nite."

Quick SAT moment: Earlimart's "Everyone Down Here" is to Grandaddy what the Decemberists are to Neutral Milk Hotel -- a pleasant sort of "lite" sound without most of the musical complexity. But this sound fits Earlimart a lot better than their original sound did, which was a sort of unoriginal Pixies/Sonic Youth sound.

The music is definitely showing growth, with its shimmery piano and good guitar riffs. Not to mention the occasional electronica swash, hints of spacey distortion and copious amounts of musical fuzz in all the right places. Just don't pay attention to the boring, forgettable lyrics ("It's all right/we'll leave it alone/and it was nice/we'll miss you/now off you go...").

A simpler and spacier Sparklehorse, or a more everyday Grandaddy -- you be the judge. Earlimart's "Everyone Down Here" presents a more exotic sound for the band, and it fits them well. Recommended for lovers of space-folk and eerie post-punk.