Basking in the sunny glow of all kinds of pop, the first compilation from Citrus City Records is a quaint introduction to 17 promising artists who will jangle their way into your heart.It is really refreshing to listen to so much undiscovered musical potential packaged neatly in the hazy glow of a sun-dappled dream. Shifting from reverb-soaked ballads through ambient electronics to ripping garage rock and back again, the compilation circulates around a pleasantly mellow sound with the occasional dip into melancholia and leap into pure joy.
“Wild Days” from Jade TV opens the compilation with a whirling bit of post punk.You can actually feel the mind drain in the woozy touch of grunge on Wulfs “September Headache.” The rambling bassline of The Lagoonas‘ “Beach Golf Course” and surging wall of guitar in Wakes “Gonzo” will get your toes tapping. As fervent lover of surfy garage rock, Midriffs‘ “Taboo Tattoo” has to be my favorite track, raging with only about 5 lines of actual lyrics. But, the album hits all the right soft spots as well, especially on Worries “Forget It All.” And there could be no better way to end the collection than Kid XL‘s twee pop gem “Get Me.”
Thanks to Manny and the crew at Citrus City for spotlighting our 17 new favorite pop friends.
Favorite Tracks: Taboo Tattoo, Wild Days, Forget It All, & Island1996
