New Music Coming From Al???

[HeyJude]

I've heard Crumple Car already, that's not a new song per say, it's been around for at least 20+ years, maybe even longer. Its ok, nothing special.

Pretty much everything on this new EP is varying degrees of old. "My Plane Leaves Tomorrow" is probably 20-ish years old from the "Postcards" era. "Crumple Car" and "Islands in the Sun" are from the 90s. Not sure about the "Highway 101" Smokey Joe re-write.

I think Al's voice sounds very good on these tracks, and the production and mixing is solid as well.

Literally a ZILLION times better sounding on every level than that "Wish" track.

The bummer is that the songs themselves are all just okay. Beyond the admitted covers, there's the usual "spot the riff/song" going on through a lot of the material. Which I realize is just Al's deal, but it's still a bummer there isn't like an A-grade killer track here.

It's not a super high bar, but this is much, much better than my worst fears in the aftermath of that "Wish" track.

[Lonely Summer]

So is there a physical release for these songs or just online streaming/downloading?

[coco1997]

According to a Variety interview, Al claims he originally offered "Islands in the Sun" for the "Stars & Stripes" sessions. Huh.

https://variety.com/2025/music/news/al-jardine-beach-boys-ep-islands-in-sun-tour-interview-1236413758/

[FreakySmiley]

I agree with HeyJude's overall sentiment that this is a very pleasant surprise -- certainly way more listenable than "Wish" was/is... I also confess to letting out a sigh of relief when I saw that the tracklist didn't include "Waves of Love 4.0 Baja California Mix" or something like that... Don't get me wrong, I like the song enough, but it is certainly not Al's magnum opus... On that note, is Larry Dvoskin credited for anything on any of these songs? Maybe that's a good thing... All in all, the biggest problem with this EP is that there aren't really any jaw-dropping, heart-stopping or even attention-grabbing moments. It is a nice listen with plenty of moments that signal Al's influences, so between that at outright reaching into the past (old recordings/updated re-recordings) there is a feeling of laid-back nostalgia that permeates the EP. All that said, 'A Postcard from California' also had plenty of that nostalgic vibe, but managed to have some really impressive moments/arrangements. I don't quite get that same feeling here. I am glad that Al is still doing his thing, and glad that Matt, Adam and even Bruce are featured (not to mention Neil Young and Flea!). Maybe Al should record some of the shows on his upcoming tour for a potential live album...