Alright, you got me. I have a major soft spot for things that induce nostalgia. But, please. Who doesn’t? Simpler times, man. Simpler times.That’s why girl rocker Best Coast’s love semi-ballad “When I’m With You” strikes a chord. A nostalgia chord, if you will. It strums several nostalgia strings at once. Hence, awesomeness.
The first bit of the song sounds a little like the kind of song that would be playing in the background of a late ’90s teen movie prom scene. You know the kind. The geeky heroine would be looking up all sheepishly into the dude’s eyes and they’d be slow dancing, and then it would cut to the angsty girl group playing on stage. The chick working the mic in the front would totally be Bethany Cosentino.
Then the guitar picks up a little, some fuzzy ooh-wah harmonies come in and suddenly (but not abruptly) you’re listening to the Beach Boys, only if they were more lo-fi and crossed with the aforementioned girl group. It’s kind of great.
Anyway, check out Best Coast’s MySpace to listen to her stuff. (“Something In the Way” is also way solid.)
