Suprise! (A San Cisco Album Review) When I first heard San Cisco, I was immediately drawn in by the

Suprise! (A San Cisco Album Review) When I first heard San Cisco, I was immediately drawn in by the catchy sound of “Awkward”. This was when they released their EP, several months ago. After a week of constant listening, I got over it. It was as disposable as most pop songs on the radio. Being the judgmental “critic” I am, I dismissed the entire band as destined for an IconaPop-like rise to fame and failure. A few months later, after being asked repeatedly if I liked San Cisco and responding with “yeah, sure” to impress people, I decided to give them a second look. I discovered that they had released a full album, “San Cisco”, and halfheartedly downloaded it. A week later, I finally listened to it. The album begins with “Beach”, a slow but catchy tune almost reminiscent of Passion Pit before that one month when decided to tour with Matt and Kim and fight their way onto the radio. It wasn’t poppy or manufactured-sounding; “Beach” sounds like an old classic in a montage of pictures from a post-graduation road trip. Yes, that’s a good thing. “Fred Astaire” comes next, and while it’s far more upbeat, it’s in a calm, Vampire Weekend kind of way. It, like the rest of the album, is more cute than thoughtful, and I, personally, am completely okay with that.  Third on the album is “Awkward”, the song that rocketed them to semi-renown. It’s a fun song, I’ll give it that, but you’ll tire of it easily. “Hunter” slows it down after that, cute and crooning. “Wild Things” is a song to sing in the shower, and possibly my favorite off the album. “No Friends” is almost “Vaccines”-esque, if The Vaccines were Australian and covered in powdered sugar.  Up to this point, the album had been mildly successful in not being excessively cutesy, but “Lyall” kills that. If “No Friends” is reminiscent of The Vaccines, then “Lyall” is reminiscent of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Not a favorite for me. “Metaphors” is almost like San Cisco is trying to redeem itself for “Lyall” but attempting to slow itself down; their efforts are mildly succesful. “Metaphors” is a pretty good song, up their with “Wild Things” and “No Friends” for me. “Mission Failed” is an outlier in the album; it’s very techno-pop. However, if any songs on the record have any profoundness, it’s “Mission Failed”. “Stella” is another fun song; like much like the rest of the album, it could pass for a Vampire Weekend track. “Rocket Ship” has a catchy beat but not much else, and “Nepal” sounds vaguely like “Just Like Heaven” by the Cure, but is unremarkable otherwise. Finally, there’s “Outro”, the song that is so out of place that you wonder if it’s even supposed to be on the album. It’s okay, though, for a new band’s first non-vocal track. “San Cisco” is a fairly good album, although it’s incredibly safe for a first full-length record. The short, sweet songs are cautious and  Usually the first album is a time where a new band is full of sparkling yet muddled ideas that, in forty years, will have attracted a cult following and be described as genius. I don’t predict this for San Cisco (both the band and the album), however, because I can hope that their most refreshing ideas have yet to come.  The album is almost too cohesive; sometimes the songs all sound the same. Altogether, however, “San Cisco” is an excellent summer album, perfect for the beach and carefree bike rides, just don’t expect to be as into it once December hits.  -- source link

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