The Smiley Smile Message Board

Jared writes songs that are covered with pure magic. Can we put it in the top ranks of the heirs of the great poet, Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds? Yes, we CAN, definitely... “Too Far Gone” has a melody in the verse straight out of The Beach Boys’ Today!, and The tremendous uptempo beat requires the listener to hit the replay button with no Resistance. The title track displays staggering genius in its structural, sensational and sudden changes of weather and climate. Jared lays out timeless fairy tales for teenagers and that, to paraphrase the natural synthesis of ‘Teenage symphonies to God ‘, makes “Rainy Day” and the moving “For Lack Of A Better Heart” my personal favorites on the entire disc… Star Map, as far as I'm concerned, is the best album of 2012 in the ‘Wilsonesque’ category and, perhaps, the best ever to date.
 

Twenty years ago the Beach Boys seemed consigned to the oldies rack yet today their sound is experiencing the type of revolution that the Beatles have inspired since their inception. It’s taken pop a while to catch up with Brian Wilson style music because it’s more complex than certain Beatles riffs. Count Oklahoma’s Jared Lekites as one of the cannier innovators in this tradition. “Too Far Gone” has the ear-worm form of The Knickerbockers meet the Beach Boys while “Star Map” is a more overt tribute, beginning as acoustic West Coast folk/rock before shifting up into pure surf. ”Nepenthe” is an XTC-like melody with a sweet bridge and Lekites’ guitar recalls Curtains 4 You’s liquid lead guitarist ”Along the Lives of Love” dips into John Prine/Leonard Cohen territory and Lekites brings a touch of Tulsa twang to such songs as “If You Aint Lonely” and “For Lack of a Better Heart.” “Girl Don’t Tell Me” melds Hollies and Beach Boys and is as good as Jeff Foskett’s “Through My Window.” Which makes it as good as any number of Beach Boys songs. Four stars.

Lekites has certainly perfected the 1960s California retro-pop sound. Star Map is a lesson in poignant and majestic melodies which makes for a quick listen. That is to say, there is nothing on this CD that weighs it down. Even Along The Lines Of Love, which clocks in at over five minutes, comes nowhere near the over-extended-my-stay stage. Frankly, it's the best song on this disc, and Lekites avoids redundant chorus structure and the ever-repetitive fade out, common mistakes among other artists who attempt to pen pop standards that exceed the industry-standard 3m 30s time frame for this genre. In my opinion, Lekites is Brian Wilson light, or maybe even Brian Wilson incarnate, at least as far as style and substance is concerned, if not song writing ability, and this song best exemplifies that revelation. I know that's a strong declaration. Lekites lives up to that promise.

It's totally excusable to ape Brian Wilson when you're aping him THIS WELL. [Star Map Part Two] is imaginative, compositionally brilliant, and executed perfectly...and all in a little bedroom studio. Jared's music helps me realize what's possible in terms of making music completely independently. Brilliance will always come through, even without record labels, mainstream radio or any of that biz.

"Too Far Gone", with some nice harmonies from K.C. Clifford, is a pop delight with that California sound, while "Star Map" wouldn't sound out of place on Brian Wilson's "Smile". "Along the Lines of Love" is a gorgeous piano-based ballad, "For Lack of a Better Heart" reminds me of an old Joe South tune, and "Girl Don't Tell Me" makes nice use of Laurie Biagini on vocals to sound like a lost 60s classic.

I'll listen tonight, ill do a track by track :)

(return the favor on the fourth?)

SM p2 - A cool idea, not as good as 1 to me :D

I bought a few songs off your album some days ago Jared - makes for very cool listening!  :) Too Far Gone and the two versions of Star Map are my favourites.

Just out of curiosity - to me, your songs have a cool retro-sounding and fuzzy, low-fi kind of sound. Is that intentional or more to do with limitations in your recording set-up? I like the sound a lot but was just wondering how much you'd gone for that approach on purpose?