The Lassie Foundation
Pacifico
(Grand Theft Autumn)

     The members of the Lassie Foundation, perhaps the most original and delightful band that you could hope to find these days, could never be accused of hiding from their home-state identity.  Indeed, anyone who has seen the band live may also have heard frontman Wayne Everett introduce the band thusly:  “We are the Lassie Foundation, and we are from California,” with only the slightest, most indiscernible hint of irony in his voice.
     So it is no surprise that the sound and feel of Pacifico, the group’s most recent full-length release, are inseparable from connotations of all things inherently Californian.  Indeed, the sun, moon, and sea are all common themes or sources of inspiration herein, lending to the aura of innocence and wonder that exudes from this collection of eleven gorgeously idiosyncratic songs.
     The Foundation’s style is a savory concoction of hi-hat happy, Britpop beats, piercing feedback atmospherics, wailing wah-bends, Macca-approved basslines, and rich, fluttering falsetto vocals.  Stir in some tambourines and an unmistakable melodic instinct, and you’ve got a bowl of sonic soup that is anything but du jour.
     Infectious tunes like “She’s the Coming Sun,” and “The Moon Won’t Let You Wait,” staple chiming guitars to heart-clutching lyrics and yield beautifully endearing results.  “I’ve Got the Rock and Roll For You” is a playful nouveau-disco send-up that recalls both Blondie and Blur.  The songs are pretension-free, and the perfect antidote to the glut of heavier than thou charlatans that have been plaguing the good name of Rock lately.
     In a more perfect world, the Lassie Foundation would hold a place at the top of the heap, with a million-dollar view of the Pacific sunrise, but for now they’ll have to be content with a surplus of talent and an album that should instill pride in the most hard-hearted of Californians.


California EP
(Velvet Blue Music/Diamante)

     Still available to concertgoers is the Lassie Foundation’s first release, the 1996 EP California, which serves as a dirty blueprint for the band’s signature sound.
     California, probably as a result of technical limitations as much as anything else, reveals the Foundation’s grittier, lo-fi side, bathing the songs in screeching squalls of feedback, angular leads, and atonal guitar dissonance ala vintage Sonic Youth.
     “I Can Be Her Man,” with its swelling earnestness and swirling, reverb-saturated melodies sets the stage for the songs that would come later.  However, highlighting the five-track EP are the wonderfully irregular “Laid With Cool,” and the hypnotic, droning splendor of “Walking Spinning Backing Free,” both of which are punctuated by Wayne Everett’s pure, softly crooning voice.
     The production is hit-and-miss at times, but that’s not necessarily a weakness.  California belongs in the music collections of those who crave indie-pop with a crusty coating.

By Casey Lombardo
Long Beach Union

Originally printed together on 10.9.00

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