There is something to be said for imitation.
It represents a reverence, a certain respect and connection to the original source.
And for Charleston's The Explorer's Club, that source material is clearly the classic sounds of The Beach Boys.
Its all here on The Explorer's Club's debut LP, Freedom Wind - the sunny imagery, the gorgeous harmonies, even the band's press photos that feature them frolicking happily on a beach.
And what's wrong with that? What's wrong with happy songs about girls, fun and sun?
Of course, these sort of sounds are becoming more and more appropriate. As the mercury rises and windows begin to be rolled down, Freedom Wind is exactly the type of record you can turn up and sing along with.
But, for all of the Brian Wilson worship that made its way onto the record, there are plenty of unique reasons to sing the praises of The Explorer's Club: chief among them, the fact that they can really sing. The harmonies are as pure as the subject matter, and the saccharine themes are made even more charming by the precision with which they are delivered.
"I wish the summer sun would stay on for one more hour," is the type of line that has the potential to absolutely kill a song, burying it under a pile of hokey charm, but on album highlight "Don't Forget the Sun," the line serves as an important lynch pin, holding the listener's attention on nothing more than charm and harmony.
It's a clever trick that The Explorer's Club are utilizing here. It takes a band that is almost universally loved - The Beach Boys - and adapts its sound to the strengths of their band.
There are a few tracks, however, that are a bit too close to The Beach Boys' originals, songs that if not played at high volume are apt to inspire a bit of confusion about who exactly is singing.
"Hold Me Tight" is probably the best example here.
Starting with subtle instrumentation and "ohh-ahh" backing vocals and slowly building into a sunny, bouncy narrative of young, summer love. Sound familiar?
Honestly, it's the type of thing that should get old after a while, but somehow it never does. There are enough curveballs thrown to make sure the listener never loses interest.
Some of those, though - "Honey I Don't Know Why," for one - are such a departure from the sound of the rest of the record that they are jarring, forcing the listener to cringe rather than sit up and take notice.
The raspy vocals of that track are reason enough to justify the rich harmonies featured on every other track. Its the same trick that Dr. Dog uses to much better results, but here, the richness of The Explorer's Club's harmonies make a song featuring only one vocalist seem completely crazy.
But other than that misstep, Freedom Wind is the type of record that fits summer like a damp, sweaty cotton T-shirt.
Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu
