Rating: ***
Is it another Bay Area band to review on the ole blog? YES IT IS!
Crooked Flower hails from Berkeley, CA (That's where the University of California is) and come to us equipped with a new full-length album called "Into the Light". It's apparently an anti-prohibition album and was released on the day that Canada made weed legal. I love weed, so at least I know the subject matter will be relatable.
Will this album continue the streak of amazing SF area artists to be reviewed on Now Hear This? Will I recommend this highly? Will I keep asking rhetorical questions? There's only one way to find out.
Stay tuned after the jump.
Listen to "Into the Light" on Soundcloud here:
"Dancing" is track one and it's a pleasant little jam. The chorus will stick in your head. Of this I'm certain. I was singing it to myself most of the next several hours after my initial listen. "Search Warrant" starts a little slower. It's got a real sexy vocal track to go with the dreamy backdrop. It changes tempo a bit. I'm not sure I'm happy about that. I was digging the vibe of the intro verse. Still solid. "Freedom" is tight. It's got a lot of swag. The whole record does really. You can tell this is a band that's been at it awhile. They have a lot of confidence in their sound. Vocalist Angelina Dang has some pipes for sure. It's a perfect match for this brand of rock music. "Let You Go" is pretty forgettable but "Around and Around" kicks the album into a different gear. It's like No Doubt for the millennial era. One of the better radio-friendly songs on the album. "10 MIllion Seeds" isn't about sunflowers. It's got a dub vibe and it's about you guessed it! WEED. "Falling" didn't really do much for me. The album ends on "Own World". It's got that Crooked Flower vibe that we've come to know during the course of this record. Not bad, but it isn't setting the world on fire either. It's sexy and sultry pop music. It still has a place.
This album is good. I think fans of the Pretenders will probably think it's pretty good and everybody else will think it's only ok. I didn't hate any of the tracks, but none of them happened to really stand out either, save for "Around and Around". I give it a thumbs up.