FROM ENDLESS SUMMER QUARTERLY – THE BEACH BOYS PUBLICATION OF RECORD

NEW RELEASES – CDs / Vinyl

By David Beard

Sometimes, great music comes from the likeliest of sources.

In February of 2022, Tears For Fears released The Tipping Point, and then, in September of 2022, The Cowsills released Rhythm Of The World. The Tipping Point was full of blissful melancholy akin to all great Tears For Fears recordings but represented a fully realized artistic arc from Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. And The Cowsills’ Rhythm Of The World was an achievement worthy of the greatest praise, right alongside The Monkees 2016 Good Times release. Both albums are full of creative expression and come with the highest recommendation.

In the case of Christian Love’s Only Alibis album (released Aug. 31), I happened to be taking a two-and-half-hour road trip, during which I decided to listen to it on repeat, and I found myself wanting more music and wishing it were longer. As it is, I let it play for the duration of the trip.

Only Alibis offers 11 tracks that span an arc of musical tastes, all of which are artfully executed. Having listened to Christian’s music over the course of the last several years as Blinded By Blue, it was 2019’s “She’s So On Fire” (released under the name Lovelee with John Stamos on drums) that piqued my interest. Listening back to that track, it now sounds like a primer for what ultimately became this collection of songs because the energy and style are similar.

When I asked about his musical influences, Christian mentioned The Police, The Fixx, The Psychedelic Furs, INXS, Gin Blossoms, Coldplay, Collective Soul, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Strokes, The Killers, Neon Trees, Weezer, and The Foo Fighters, and you can hear it, but I also hear bits of expression in the same vein of R.E.M., The Cars, and U2.

Only Alibis is refreshing, and the title track has the same great upbeat danceability that Florence + The Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” offers and track two – “There’s Somethin’ I’ve Decided” – is filled with Lindsey Buckingham-like innuendos, and “Touch Down In New Amsterdam,” reminds me of nights out on the town that we’ve all likely experienced at one point or another in our younger days and Christian’s voice soars.

The next song, “Sum Sum Summer,” was initially released in December of 2022. Here, the song receives an upgrade with the addition of Matt Jardine on backing vocals, and a few fun backing vocal snippets [“short shorts, walkin’ down the avenue, hot skin in the afternoon,” and the counter line, “it’s all in the motion when we’re swimmin’ in the ocean”]. Joining Christian on this version are Cars guitarist Elliot Easton, drummer Phil Jones (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers among others), and Beach Boys band keyboardist Tim Bonhomme. Matt provided the vocal arrangement and engineer Jeff Peters did the mix. If there’s one track that has that legit ‘Beach Boys vibe,’ this is it, Mike must like the song because John Stamos has directed a music video that features father and son together on the tag, so I imagine concertgoers will soon be hearing this added to the setlists. At least, I hope so.

“We Don’t Even Know What We’re Fightin’ For” and “Crazy For You” push vigorously through different registers and are some of the best recordings I’ve heard in ages. “Microwave Dress” like many of the recordings on this collection, sounds like something you might have heard on a late 1980s/early 1990s album, but it’s “Talk About the Things” that steps directly into a Coldplay/U2 vibe and is far and away my favorite recording, but the very idea that any recording is better than the other is superfluous.

“You Could Be My Girl” has a great musical shift that reminds me a bit of The Moody Blues’ “Question” because it sounds like two songs in one.

“You Came Around” is the edgiest of all the songs but swoops itself up in pop bliss on the chorus. The bridge offers a cool ending, and “Thrown Out” recalls a night out on the town where he and his female accomplice are removed from the place in question. Here, restaurant sound effects are used, similar to The Monkees’ “Don’t Call On Me.”

Full of reflective and imaginative lyrics, great musicianship, and vocals, Only Alibis tastefully ascends to a satisfying conclusion. In today’s music retail market, I can only hope that Christian’s album will find its way to listeners across the world because it deserves to be heard. If we were still living in a non-digital market and he was a well-known music entity in the ranks of U2, Crowded House, The Cars, or Lindsey Buckingham, Only Alibis would have at least four hit singles because it offers more than enough great music to put Christian on the music charts.

Hopefully, like me, you’ll let it play in a loop and enjoy it from start to finish on repeated listens. It gets better each time. It more than grows on you; it stays with you. If you happen to make it to one of the Mike Love-led Beach Boys’ concerts, you should be able to purchase Christian’s CD at the merchandise tables, and there’s a good chance you might run into him at intermission or after the show.

©2023 David M. Beard/All Rights Reserved