Eureka California are a duo from Athens Georgia and Crunch is the band's second full album, though they also previously featured on a split cassette with The Lame Drivers that's still available.
This album opens with Edith (one Day You'll Live In A Bunker): a lo-fi, Daniel Johnston meets early Billy Bragg song about the paranoia of the modern world and the need to find a place of safety. No Mas has such carefully placed and timed drums that they feel like they are ready to attack you as the story in the song unfolds and they punctuate the words.
There's No Looking Back? Well there is, but not on this Stump-like punky pop tune that you'll want to mosh to as you get over being dumped again. It also has the closest thing this album has to a guitar solo and that's no more than 10 seconds long.
I seem to be getting lots of albums with tribute songs at the moment and unlike some of the risible heads ups to the likes of John Lennon, Eureka California instead decided that I Bet You Like Julian Cope was the way to go and damn, it's great as it rampages out of the speakers as a great pick up line. My reply would be "well I did once blag my way into a sold out show of his by pretending to be Dave Shufflebottom whose name was on the guest list." So there.
Sneaky Robby is a lo-fi indie rant about just how low down and sneaky Robbie is. You might have to listen a few times to find out. #1 In The State is an almost Buzzcocks meets Graham Parker slowed-down power pop song.
The B-side starts with This Ain't No A-side. Inevitably, this works as a joke far better on the vinyl or cassette versions than on the CD or digital download. In ny format, however, it winks its eye at us and comes on like Supergrass had they been signed to Beserkley Records in the late 70's.
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Twin Cities is a tribute to the Minneapolis/St Paul axis that sort of sounds like a good night out at 3rd Avenue when there's a good punk bill but also takes us around the towns and has some of the feel for the place.
Happy Again? Well actually I've been happy to enjoy most of this album's effervescent lo-fi indie and this clatters along at a fair place; perfect for some dance floor madness. Art Is Hard? Well ain't that the truth as if it was easy everyone would do it to quote someone else's song lyrics. Cool indie and yes if you want it you have to work hard and go and sharpen your pencil and go for it.
The Album closes by posing the question How Long Till The Medicine Hits? Well since you asked the codeine hit somewhere during Art Is Hard thanks. But the song itself is a slow anticipatory song about dreams of Shelley Duval and it keeps threatening to break out and freak out as the medicine takes, but hell, you just have to wait and let it do its work. But it almost ends up being more of a comedown than a come back up tune.
'Crunch' is a cool lo-fi indie album with some nice dark lyrics and an eye for the dance floor mosh pit of the clubs I used to go to in the late 80's and early 90's. That's no bad thing as I hear it.
Eureka California online
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