My best friend introduced me to the perfect summer soundtrack for an anti-ambition lifestyle soaked in distorted guitar riffs lead on vocals by Bethany Cosentino.
Crazy For You by Best Coast.
Picture the ultimate slackderom golden period: the early 90’s. This careless attitude allows Cosentino to use sloppy garage rock to exhibit the quintessential California 60’s pop. The single, “Boyfriend” proves to be a guide for the whole album with a swooning melody, a hint of desperation, and dirty guitars echoing a wall of sound.
The record’s overall brilliance has everything to do with Cosentino’s voice which hits every pitch with objection and lucidity. It’s a good thing as well since Crazy For You is such a vocal heavy record, excluding the track “When I’m With You.” Throughout the record, Cosentino’s voice echoes simple mantra like feelings. (“I wish he was my boyfriend," "I want you so much," "That's not your deal, that's not my deal”).
The main criticism for this album has been that Cosentino lacks a sort of lyrical intelligence. It’s true that there are many “crazy/lazy” rhyme schemes, and it’s almost laughable at the line, “I wish my cat could talk” from “Goodbye.” However, it’s easy to avoid that when listening to the tracks and records as a whole. Cosentino has never aimed for anything lyrically flamboyant, so it’s unfair to chastise her album for misguided expectations. As far as I’m concerned, Cosentino presents her feelings candidly without sounding too pompous or arrogant.
In simple terms, Cosentino is very aware of what she’s doing, but most importantly this record does possess some lyrical complexity than just an initial error-seeking listen would garner. For instance, just when you believe you’ve gathered the so-called “superficial” meaning of “Boyfriend,” Cosentino turns the table and reveals that she isn’t just envious; she feels inadequate as well. “The other girl is not me/ She's prettier and skinnier/ She has a college degree/ I dropped out when I was 17.” In the track, “The End” Cosentino’s lyrics mirror the meaningless of life and existence, even verging on nihilistic as she mentions in the song’s chorus that she’ll ruin it all for transitory satisfactions. "You say that/ We're just friends/ But I want this/ Till the end." She’s not being simple minded or passive in these lines; she’s being authentic, and it’s endearing that she puts herself out there.
If I could sum up the album in one word, I’d say it’s captivating. Most indie pop bands that base their music on guitar rhythms have come off as antagonistic and have failed at attempts to fit in. This record is nonchalant and therefore, instantly likable. It simply doesn’t care what you think of it. Although Crazy For You is characterized as a summer album, I’d bet it would sound pretty fantastic all year round and beyond.
