Al Jardine - Islands in the Sun
by Kevin Wierzbicki
The music of the Beach Boys has long been the soundtrack of summer and now there are some new tunes for the sunny season thanks to this four song EP from Beach Boys singer, guitarist and founding member Al Jardine. Beach Boys-like harmony vocals highlight the breezy title cut; joining Al on vocals are his son Matt Jardine and fellow Beach Boy Bruce Johnston. The song has a vibe similar to Beach Boys favorite "Kokomo" and indeed it will have listeners dreaming of sailing away to that island in the sun. "My Plane Leaves Tomorrow (Au Revoir)" is actually a song that Jardine was working on for his 2010 debut solo album
A Postcard from California but didn't finish until now. The cut is about a man going off to war and features plaintive vocals from guest Neil Young; the buoyancy of the tune may cause some to miss the seriousness of the message, in the same way that many missed what the Monkees hit "Last Train to Clarksville" was about. A brief snippet of "Taps" is performed at song's end as Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers shows his talent on the bugle. The strutting "Highway 101 (Rosarita Beach Cafe)" rocks to a bluesy groove while closing cut "Crumple Car" is an acoustic update of the song that first appeared in the surf movie "Big Wednesday." Guest player Ed Carter does some sublime guitar finger-picking on the song while Al, who whistles part of the melody, is joined on vocals by another of his sons, Adam Jardine.
Islands in the Sun, with lots of opportunities to sing along, will make for a fine addition to any summertime playlist.
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