Beulah is a criminally underrated band (or, rather, was - turns out a band can't survive on excellent write-ups alone), and this album (one of their two best, along with Heartstrings) is no exception. Even if you don't like indie music, you'll love Beulah - they're a great blend of pop and rock, and could easily fit on mainstream pop, mainstream rock, or college radio stations. Beautiful (and sometimes beautifully dissonant) in its composition, from breezy, gentle, tropical-sounding love and heartbreak pop ("Popular Mechanics for Lovers," "What Will You do When Your Suntan Fades?") to harder songs ("Gravity's Bringing Us Down," "A Good Man is Easy to Kill") to everything in between ("Hey Brother," "Silver Lining"), this is pretty much a perfect album - not a single dud to be found (although Beulah has very few duds in general). Just pop the CD in, and put the remote down - you won't want to skip a single song (though you may be tempted to repeat a few!) Love, loss, family, friendship, heartbreak - to paraphrase "Silver Lining," "you want it... you got it."
While they may have broken up a decade ago (as of this writing), Beulah lives on through their music. One of their two greatest albums (along with Coast), Heartstrings (their sophomore album) is one of the most beautiful albums you will ever hear that isn't by the Beatles. Beulah can be said to be a master of lyrical dissonance - a delightful, catchy, positive tune will accompany some fairly sad lyrics (although this is not a hard and fast rule - "If We Can Land a Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart" is positive AND lyrically upbeat [and a wonderful source of debate as to its true meaning - is it about success as a band, is it a love song, or is it both?], while "Silverado Days" is slow, mournful, and beautifully depressing). "Emma Blowgun's Last Stand," 'IWCLAMOTMSICWYH," "Ballad of the Lonely Argonaut," "Score from Augusta," and "Silverado Days" are just a few of the standouts - yet you will not want to skip a single track. Fans of Top 40, pop, rock, and indie music will adore this album - and Beulah in general.