I Heart California

iTunes Review

What happens when you cross two members of Grandaddy with two members of Earlimart? You get Admiral Radley. Named anagrammatically from combining both bands’ monikers, the crossbred quartet comprises Jason Lytle, Aaron Burtch, Ariana Murray and Aaron Espinoza. Lytle seems to have found his creative spark again here on Admiral Radley’s debut, I Heart California. The opening title track bubbles and pops with powerful melodies, analogue keyboard waves, subtly static guitar distortion and Lytle’s familiar high-toned nasal inflections forming lyrics that both mock and muse on various stereotypes of the Golden State. Though distorted guitars abound on this album, “Sunburn Kids” grooves loosely on ‘80s dance-pop beats and synthesizers as Lytle’s lyrics hilariously heckle goth kids with pale skin and photosensitivity in much the same way that the popular Goths In Hot Weather blog succeeds. The pulsing, droning, post-shoegazing “Red Curbs” finds Lytle waxing nostalgic for his bygone street skateboarding days of yore as he wistfully croons, “I miss those times/ When I would ride red curbs all night/ Doing grinds and slides.”