She and Hymn

Puns. So deliciously fun, yet they can be so corny at times one fights to maintain a good sense of balance between the good and the bad. If you're in a band and your album title is a pun,. it had better be a really good one or you may wind up looking foolish. Earlimart's "Hymn and Her" is only a slightly terrible pun, and thankfully I didn't even catch onto it until I read it aloud a couple times. And despite the eventual regret the duo mught feel about giving their album that sort of title, there's no reason for them to be ashamed of the songs on it.

I promise I wasn't trying to avoid Earlimart when they released "Mentor Tormentor" (another sorta "meh" album title) last year, but I was so engaged in various other albums I never really got around to listening to it. And to be honest I still haven't given it a listen. My fault, I'll take all the blame for that one. I loved 2004's "Treble & Tremble," and for some reason didn't feel inspired enough to give a listen to any new material when it surfaced three years after that. But I'm back on board with Earlimart now, and apparently it's now a much leaner duo of Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray as compared to past albums where there were several members playing on the albums. You might expect the two remaining members to take things in a different direction with less people to work with, but in terms of the Earlimart catalogue this stands up well with their indie pop sound.

If you're familiar at all with Earlimart's sound, there's not a lot of surprises on "Hymn and Her." The songs are primarily acoustic guitar-based, there's some tinkering with piano and the occasional xylophone here and there, and we can't forget the absolutely darling male-female harmonies that Aaron and Ariana do so well together. And while this isn't exactly the most thought-provoking or inventive album in the world, it is very lovely to listen to on a sunny day with the windows open. It's probably best experienced with headphones on a lazy afternoon, but pop it into the stereo while you're chilling in a hammock or spending time with friends and you'll really be no worse for wear. I'm mostly happy it doesn't try to overdo anything and maintains a high quality of songwriting despite the shockingly short time span since last year's "Mentor Tormentor." You can say it's upsetting that Earlimart's sound hasn't evolved very much despite the change in members, and there are plenty of other acts that play around with similar melodies, but the fact remains that this style of indie pop is something that this duo does quite well. Yeah, it might be nice if they try and do some different things the next time around, but for now I'll take the status quo as it's a good reprieve from all those buzz bands that are consistently pushing the boundaries of taste. You turn on "Hymn and Her" and suddenly you're home again after a long trip out of town, and though you may live in a shack that drives you crazy after an extended period of time, it's always comforting to go back to that familiar place for a little while. That's what I really like about this album and why I suggest you pick it up. Something light, airy and fun for summertime enjoyment.

Earlimart- Song For
Earlimart- Teeth (left click)

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Labels: earlimart