More often than not, at least to my way of thinking, hype has a way of ruining music. If it doesn’t ruin, then it can most certainly undercut. But if it weren’t for the noticeable buzz heralding the release of Best Coast’s Crazy for You, there’s a good chance I would have passed this one by. Some chick making a pot-addled California fuzz rock album about her ex-boyfriend and her cat? I think I’ll pass. Well, true to that west coast sound the kids are digging so hard these days (which I am officially attempting to dub “laze gaze”) this album sounds like it was recorded in a public bathroom. If you haven’t guessed, this isn’t exactly my favorite genre. I don’t get Wavves. Yeah, I said it. That level of reverb is just overblown and annoying, but Best Coast strike a nice balance. Crazy for You doesn’t feel forced or contrived, but more genuinely lackadaisical. The resulting LP is a nice blend of shoegazey sixties girl pop more akin to Vivian Girls or Dum Dum Girls than, say, She & Him.

Let’s start with the negatives. As with most laze gaze (I can feel it catching on already), the tracks tend to run together like the days in the overrated climate of the so-called “best coast.” Really though, that’s more personal beef than objective weakness. I knew what I was getting myself into. I don’t necessarily dislike the sound that accounts for three quarters of Crazy for You, but I really love the stand-out tracks. The problem is they’re all stuck at the end of the disc. At the end of the day, if the only real complaint about an album is the track listing, it must be pretty damn good.

“Each & Everyday,” in second to last position, is easily the best track, which is never a sensible arrangement in my book. Bethany ventures a little further up the west coast on this one, switching things up in the middle like you might find on a Built to Spill track. “When I’m With You” and “I Want To” operate on a similar, if less dramatic, blue print. The track list would probably translate into an excellent live set, starting off with the lazier songs and building to a finale, but it just feels confusing coming through earbuds. All of the tracks on the first side are enjoyable in their own right, they’re just somewhat indistinguishable from one another. It’s an important point to underscore because Bethany has damn near perfect old-school rocker pipes with sneer to match, and it’s a shame to make that sort of talent into something forgettable. I’d say the odds are equal that this album would have either been absolutely fantastic or remarkably average with some sparklingly pristine production. I’m imagining something along the lines of post-glam or arena grunge which are both fabulously intriguing terms.

You can take most any album and imagine little tweaks to perfect it, but as it stands, Crazy for You is appealingly imperfect, which is where the grunge aspect comes into play. On the whole, it’s an enjoyable summertime listen, but be forewarned, these tracks are growers. There’s no real wow factor, even though there easily could have been. This girl is more the type to gradually wear down your resistance and win you over, rather than sweeping you off of your feet. So please, give the album the time it deserves.

Track List:
1. Boyfriend
2. Crazy for You
3. The End
4. Goodbye
5. Summer Mood
6. Our Deal
7. I Want To
8. When the Sun Don’t Shine
9. Bratty B
10. Honey
11. Happy
12. Each & Everyday
13. When I’m With You