Cherry Ghost - Earlimart

Earlimart: Hymn & Her
Amoeba Records, Hollywood
7.8.08

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Written By: Cherry Ghost

I’ve been TRYING to make it into Amoeba for approximately three weeks now. It is not on my way home from work. It is not on my way home from most of my extra-curricular activities (and if it is on the way, then it’s typically not open or not convenient or I’m with other people who don’t need precious albums).

It’s sad that I now have to make a date to go to my record store. Gone are the good ol’ days when I could skip down the street to Penny Lane, make a convenient detour on the way home to Rhino, make a slightly less convenient – but still on the way home - pop in at the Virgin Mega Store or even the last resort but still walkable Best Buy (as their music selection – although never stellar – has now dwindled and dwindled until all that remains is the very top of the tippy top of the charts.

It’s not that I HATE the internet. No, I love the internet. I’ll buy the shit out of things like Coldplay and… uh… you know, other similar albums online. But for most albums, I like going into the record store and seeing them mixed in with all the other beautiful cases. I like holding the case in my hand and opening it like a present. I like looking at the artwork and reading the thank-you’s and playing the album in my car start to finish.

*No, to answer your question, I do not have an iPod adapter in my car. Mine broke a long time ago and I haven’t really missed it much… only sometimes.

When I read Monday that Earlimart would be doing an in-store at Amoeba on Tuesday, a light bulb lit up in my mind: I can, not only, FINALLY purchase those albums, I can see this lovely band play that I haven’t seen for quite some time.

A plan was hatched, a co-conspirator acquired and a long lasting item on the “to do” list was scratched off.

One thing I always seem to forget whenever I see Earlimart (and that is A LOT – I must have some kind of memory eraser problem) is that they can totally rock it out! They have a lot of really beautiful and melodic elements, but they can certainly bring the noise. They are a band with a distinct sound and have really stuck with that. I admire that in a band… sticking to their guns and not taking an easy formulaic pop road to certain success, but rather being committed to their brand of art and taking the accolades when they come.

There is one change, however, that has happened with Earlimart in the past couple of years that I whole-heartedly embrace and applaud: The gradual and steady rise in the use of Arianna Murray’s vocals and lyrics. She has (and Aaron Espinoza as well) has such a distinct sound and her songs are amazing. “Happy Alone” was my favorite song off the last album (Mentor Tormentor) (followed closely by “Nevermind the Phonecalls”) and I was very pleased when they chose to include it in their set at Amoeba. It was strange seeing them in the bright lights of a record store and surreal seeing them without all the other members that have so often graced the stage with them. But it’s always interesting to see bands in different settings.

After the show I grabbed my music, budged the autograph line, took the hugs and surprised looks and walked out into a completely unexpected light-ten-minute Hollywood sprinkle. SIGH… Accomplished.

Cherry Ghost.