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Jan 25, 2013Depending on your predilection, it will either bore the crap out of you, pass on by like a rest stop without a vending machine, or reignite the flame for a band that has always celebrated, as Lowery sings on 1989's "All Her Favorite Fruit," the "fecundity of life and love."
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Jan 22, 2013The band expertly navigates unusual, sometimes radical mood changes, with a maturity that forsakes some of its youthful friskiness without compromising an idiosyncratic vision that is just as compelling today as it was 25 years ago.
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Jan 22, 2013Fortunately, the band that helped establish the early indie ethos remains as odd and unrepentant as ever.
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Jan 22, 2013On La Costa Perdida (The Lost Coast), their first album in eight years, CVB explore their old California stomping grounds and stumble upon a perfect mix of middle-aged nostalgia and youthful yee-haw.
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Feb 5, 2013Sadly, today there's nothing to distinguish Lowery and co. from scores of other unfocused bands trying to combine too many disparate elements.
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MojoMar 7, 2013There are plenty of twisty turns, and more than a dollop of cynicism and cheek, to ensure that this latest comeback earns its rightful place in the CVB canon. [Apr 2013, p.90]
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Mar 22, 2013If you get past the fact that CBV aren’t trying to be radical or cutting edge, or even particularly contemporary, you’ll find a pleasantly undemanding, chilled-out record that’s the perfect soundtrack for all those warm summer evenings we’re crossing our fingers for at the moment.
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Jan 24, 2013The bigger problem is an overall lack of energy; there are only so many mid-tempo middle-of-the-road psych-pop songs you can listen to before starting to watch the clock.
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Jan 22, 2013Overall La Costa Perdida goes down easy--maybe a little too easy.
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Jan 22, 2013Even if La Costa Perdida isn't a great Camper Van Beethoven record, it does illustrate how unique this band still is, 30 years after it formed.
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Jan 22, 2013La Costa Perdida often shines in these hazy moments, the moments that match the narcotic feel of the past with the carefree present. Some of this, though, also feels rote.
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Jan 22, 2013All in all, this is a well-written, smartly paced, tightly played, thematically cohesive, musically tidy piece of work. It's just that quite a lot of Camper fans probably never considered those qualities to be particularly appealing virtues.
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Feb 15, 2013As ever, it's an eclectic mix of styles.
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UncutJan 22, 2013La Costa Perdida brings them full circle, back to their Californian roots. [Feb 2013, p.80]