Who Should Buy This: Quirky people, content pessimists, people who like alternative music, individuality, and art that doesn’t take itself too seriously. (Probably not for children. See parental guidance for details.)
Album: Coast Modern
Artist: Coast Modern
Genre: alternative, indie, rock
Music Rating: 8/10
Lyrics Rating: 7/10
Overall: 8/10
Sounds Like: COIN, DREAMERS, Knox Hamilton
Best thing About this Album: The unperturbedly bizarre music, the strong, fresh rhythms, and that fact that this album digs below the surface without taking itself too seriously.
One thing I wish was different: Aside from my personal bias against swearing in music, some of the shorter transitional tracks seem to lack the magic that draws me into the other songs on the album and disrupt the fluidity rather than aid the progression. (I’m a 90’s kid, and I was just as obsessed with pogs as anyone, but that track is just unnecessary and distracting. The quirk and nostalgia did make me smile, but it would’ve played much better if they’d put it at the end as a hidden track, imo.)
Website: Coast Modern
Tracks: technically – 18, practically – 13.7
Favorites: Guru, Dive, Run It Up
Parental Guidance: “Pockets Full of No” has a swear word in the backup vocals at the beginning of the last chorus. “Run It Up” references deity in the second verse. “Comb My Hair” mentions skinny-dipping in the second verse. “Now I’m Cool” references doing drugs, smoking, and has a swear word in the third verse. (This track is sarcastic commentary on the glamorization of an unhealthy party scene.) “The Way It Was” has a swear word in the first verse. There are also references to alcohol throughout the album.
This is a playlist of all of the songs from the album that will automatically play through the whole album. To skip to a particular song, click on the menu icon in the upper left-hand corner.
This album is bizarre. I can not think of a more apt adjective for this self-titled album, but the strangeness is what I love about these songs. Though founded upon sound compositional principles, nothing about this album is predictable or generic. It somehow manages to be whimsical, pessimistic, and charming all at the same time.
Here are some of my favorite lines from each track to give you a better lyrical sample of the whole album. Take a look and then take a listen!
“I won’t go underground ’til I’m ready. I’m not ready.” — Going Down
“If I’m holding on too tightly, I might never come back.” — Tiny Umbrella
“We’re miles apart, but not at heart.” — Guru
“We’re alone and we’re alive. So take my hand; let’s take a dive.” — Dive
“We all need just a little more green and a little less plastic.” — Pockets Full of No
— Yemma
“Spending all my time on you. I can’t get enough. Spending every dime on you, but it’s only stuff.” — Run It Up
“Wild things go only where the wind decides.” — Wild Things
“Running, running, running from my problems.” — Hollow Life
— Groovy
“I’m a breeze in the wind. You’re a hum in the air.” — Comb My Hair
“I like waking up to all the things that we used to dream.” — Honeybee
“I sold my soul for a pair of shades, and now I’m cool.” — Now I’m Cool
“It’s up to me to write the story of my life. Even if it’s all a lie.” — Animals
“She’s my passion, orange, guava.” — Pogs & Slammers
“I was shaking hands with the face of death.” — The Way It Was
— Bugs
“Without a bit of magic, well there’s nothing but the truth.” — Frost
That’s it. If you loved these songs as much as I did, please consider supporting Coast Modern by purchasing the album from their website or on your favorite digital music store (iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play, Amazon, etc.)
And holler at me in the comments! I’d love to talk to you all about this album.
