EARLIMART - System Preferences

Hooked on heartache, but with character. That's one way to sum up the comeback of the resurrected Earlimart, nearly five years after their previous outing. Back home, part of the critical establishment hasn't exactly welcomed this first self-released effort (on The Ship label) from the Los Angeles band with open arms, accusing them of no longer daring to take risks the way they once did, with obvious reference to the noisy early days of “Filthy Doorways” (1999) and “Kingdom of Champions” (2000), but also to the jagged restlessness of the excellent “Everyone Down Here” (2003), still their most convincing work to date.

In truth, the artistic partnership between Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray hasn't really changed shape in many years, exactly the (almost) ten that separate us from the passing of their mentor and brotherly friend Elliott Smith, explicitly evoked as a "ghost in the heart" in one of the most touching passages of this, their seventh LP.

The shift towards softer lights and gentler sonics is, in truth, already old news, dating back to "Treble & Tremble", an album mistakenly hailed as a tribute to the former Heatmiser frontman but in fact the genuine turning point in the Earlimart's evolution from a boldly rock outfit into a duo with pronounced spacey and chamber-pop inflections — a formula later reprised, profitably, by a number of far less talented epigones such as Submarines, Viva Voce and Mates of State, to name but a few.

For anyone who thought that, with "Mentor Tormentor" and the modest "Hymn And Her", every overt debt of gratitude had already been settled, here comes Smith's melancholy ghost again, looming large over a couple of the new tracks: the bittersweet nursery rhyme of "Sweater Weather" and the acoustic hypotyposis of "Crestline, Ca", genuinely striking in how closely it hews to the model. Just two exceptions, however significant.

Aaron and Ariana prove they have no intention of letting this comeback dissolve into yet another vignette of exhausted romanticism, instead crafting a placidly nocturnal record brimming with charm, somewhat like L'Altra's "Telepathic" last year, but with more heart. Buoyed by yet another (self-)production effort of absolute quality (the fruit of a decade spent paying dues alongside the likes of Jay Farrar, Ben Gibbard, Devics and Sea Wolf), "System Preferences" proves to be an easy-listening work of tremendous substance, a sort of concept album about the disillusioned acceptance of technology, but also, to quote its authors, a soundtrack for a sad and beautiful world, an indirect homage to another kindred spirit, Mark "Sparklehorse" Linkous.

Twelve fully-rounded songs, simple yet infectious, that hop from Brendan Benson-style revivalist playfulness ("Lovely Mary Ann") to gentle, elusive ballads ("Get Used To The Sound", "Shame"), from faint, Yankee-brand indie-pop watercolours (anyone remember Headlights?) to languid solutions closer to Piano Magic ("A Goodbye"), yet without mechanical solemnity or funereal tones.

What impresses most, in every case, is the clarity of the writing and the melodies, a quality that never falters even in the rare moments where the weight of programming naturally looms larger and an Espinoza on fine form seems to catch his breath.

It should come as no surprise that today's Earlimart are working hard to shake off the limiting label of being the perfect band for hospital-drama soundtracks, a fate to which one too many reckless licensing deals seemed to have condemned them: the stereotyping of "cute" as background music for TV romances is too harsh a punishment for musicians who have, after all, shown real expressive personality, even if not always entirely their own.

Likewise, it should come as no surprise that the record's subtle electronic flickers, its underlying lightness, and its one lively departure from the comfort zone (the irresistible "Internet Summer", which sounds like a precious outtake from "Just Like The Fambly Cat") feel almost more Grandaddy-esque than Grandaddy themselves. It's been only two years since the impromptu decompression offered by the Admiral Radley project, the supergroup that saw Aaron and Ariana join Jason Lytle and the trusty Burtch for a classic, good-humoured reunion among old friends.

With the cards now on the table, there's no denying that burst of energy did them a world of good.

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22/12/2012