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MUSIC<br />
MUSIC<br />
Beverly<br />
Careers<br />
Kanine Records, LP or CD<br />
“Y<br />
ou don’t have to over-think it,” Beverly vocalist/<br />
guitarist Drew Citron told a radio interviewer when<br />
asked about her duo’s debut record. “It’s just pop<br />
music.”<br />
She’s right on both accounts, of course, and<br />
the ten songs of Careers so easily fly by in under<br />
30 minutes that the album dang-near invites<br />
an ignorance-is-bliss approach. But fast and<br />
familiar don’t mean the same as lacking in charm.<br />
The latter characteristic is relatively bountiful<br />
on Careers, a set that feels like a soundtrack to<br />
a daydream. Guitars are bright but obscured,<br />
phrases get lost in harmonies, and melodies are<br />
so comfortable they already feel nostalgic.<br />
The sprightly opening notes<br />
of “Medora” bounce along<br />
like they’re playing hopscotch<br />
with the tightly cropped beat,<br />
a summer pop feeling if there<br />
ever was one. That is, at least,<br />
until the song builds to a burst<br />
of power and fuzzy energy in<br />
the chorus (as most tunes here<br />
do). Still, the friendly, comewhat-may<br />
vocals ensure things<br />
never get too out of hand. But<br />
Beverly certainly pushes the<br />
limits. “Ambular” conjures all the<br />
panic its phonetic, paramedic<br />
cousin implies. Hard-pounding,<br />
milk-carton-like drums are met<br />
with an array of alarming, counter-punching<br />
streaks of guitar.<br />
“Planet Birthday” is heavy on<br />
the bass and feedback, and<br />
“Out on a Ride” feels as if it’s<br />
on rails.<br />
Throughout it all, sweetness<br />
prevails. A collaboration<br />
between Citron and Frankie<br />
Rose, the latter of whom has<br />
played in the likeminded Vivian<br />
Girls and similarly likeminded<br />
but moodier Dum Dum Girls,<br />
the Brooklyn-based duo ultimately<br />
has its radio dial tuned<br />
to upbeat, West Coast-style<br />
garage pop.<br />
Vide, “Honey Do” is exquisite<br />
pop craft, with harmonies<br />
at their most yearning and<br />
washes of guitars broken up<br />
by minor-key, surf-ready clarity.<br />
“All the Things” takes its<br />
left turns around swoon-worthy<br />
“whoa-ohs.” “Yale’s Life”<br />
answers its hot-and-bothered<br />
lyrics and breathy, whispering<br />
vocals with a reflective pace<br />
and chords manipulated to<br />
the point that they come off<br />
as church-like organs. Things<br />
seem more amiss in “Honk<br />
Kong Hotel,” with lyrics that<br />
allude to crimes and longheld<br />
secrets. Here, Citron’s<br />
guitar tempers the fast-moving<br />
pace with woozy balladry.<br />
Recklessness may be implied,<br />
but the tone is wistful.<br />
—Todd Martens<br />
34 TONE AUDIO NO.64<br />
July 2014 35
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