CD Review: Earlimart – Treble & Tremble Label: Palm Pictures By John Miller

Earlimart. Earlimart? Yes, Earlimart. No they are not a store that sells gobstoppers and pork rinds, they are a band led by Aaron Espinoza and composed of Ariana Murray, Solon Bixler, Jim Fairchild, Joel Graves, Scott McPherson, Brian Thornell and David Latter. Not like a list of names really means anything to you but it does give a good feel of a band to know how many people are in it, and who knows, maybe one day the names really will matter.

The album Treble and Tremble is not a “listen and buy” album full of hits. It is an album that grows on you with distortion and sullen tones. Atonal and Pixies-esque (though not too much), the music floats around like a ship at sea (to use a necessary cliché). In fact the studio in which it is recorded is called “The Ship”. On the front cover is a boat and on the back are rain drops. Does Mr. Espinoza have a liking for marine life and wish he would have chosen the highly lucrative career of being a marine merchant rather than just another boring musician pushing time at the studio? Ok, maybe one should not take things so literally. Either way, this is the type of CD one would listen to with headphones while walking down the boardwalk of Coney Island in the winter, while dealing with a break up or the death of a loved one. In fact, it just so happens that this CD was produced in just that exact circumstance (Ok, maybe not the Coney Island part, but something needs to relate to New Yorkers since this band is from L.A.). After really listening to this CD and plunging through the murky waters of distortion, one uncovers the treasure of the melodies holding the sound together. The CD betrays the emotional journey of Espinoza who was in the production of this CD, making brutally honest art in a time of distress. The music can sometimes seem like distorted chaos on the surface, yet inside there is a coherent jewel of peaceful melody to be discovered and brought forth.

This CD is not one to break out at a party, and is not carefully groomed melodic Indie rock for a clothing retail store (thank god). These reasons alone, plus the fact that it will help one feel like someone else has a hell of a lot more troubles than you do, make it all the more of a reason to give a listen and a buy.