Bad Weather California - Sunkissed

  by Jamie Rowland

published: 28 / 2 / 2012

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Bad Weather California’s name may be a little misleading, as their debut album is just about as sunny-sounding and summery as you can get. From the very start of opening track ‘I’ll Reach Out My Hand’, Bad Weather California practically haemorrhages warmth; with pedal-steel coming in and out like waves, what sounds like a Frampton-style talk box and a bass-line that hops, skips and jumps like a....an excited dog on a beach? I think we’ll leave that metaphor there. BWC are signed to Akron/Family’s Family Tree Records, which seems appropriate as like Akron/Family, they are a band who obviously love the music they make, and are having an absolute blast being in a band. With so many bands opting to pout and frown in their publicity photos, like they got the wrong train on their way to Shoreditch and missed their own birthday party, sometimes it’s easy to forget that they’ve done a pretty great job; Bad Weather California are here to remind us all – music is fun! Indeed, on ‘Skate or Try’ and ‘Freaks and Geeks’ (whose joint length comes to less than a minute and half) the group seem to be thrashing out some noise just for the heck of it, which I think we’ve all done from time to time when in possession of an instrument. This short detour aside, 'Sunkissed' is smooth sounding and kind of retro; ‘Let It Shine' even has a call-and-response section for the ladies (and “all the babies’ mamas”) over a funky rhythm section (“say ‘oh, oh-oh, ohhh!”) and a couple of the tracks – ‘Stand in my Sunshine’ and closer ‘You’re My Friend’ – utilise sleazy saxophone sections, of the kind not heard since the mid-80s – and it sounds fantastic! Bad Weather California may have released their first album at exactly the right time; as spring starts to peer out over winter’s frosty shoulder, we can all slap 'Sunkissed' on the stereo, put our thermals back in their drawer and get ready for the summer and the sun. In other words – I liked it!

Track Listing:-

1 I'll Reach Out My Hand
2 When You Smile
3 Stand in My Sunshine
4 Big Yellow Ball
5 Skate or Try
6 Freaks and Geeks
7 Let It Shine
8 I'll Reach Out My Hand Part 2
9 I Feel Like Dancing
10 I'll Sing Along
11 You're My Friend

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/badweathercalifornia/

Label Links:-

http://familytreerecords.bandcamp.com/

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