Beulah//Hey Brother

Alright, so—give me a break! Beulah is another California-heavy sound. Sometimes things just sound better in context. When I lived in London, there was nothing better than walking around the grey streets listening to The Smiths or Belle and Sebastian. On my BART ride to the airport, there was nothing better than listening to SF's own Beulah deliver poppy, shiny, sunny, beachy goodness.

This song is amazing. Production is on; lyrics are great; it’s catchy as hell. Pay special attention to the amazing lead guitar walkdown on the chorus, the superb horn arrangement and those gorgeous strings. It’s not surprising that Beulah had ties to two stellar indie rock institutions, Elephant Six and John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone Recording Studio. All-around awesome.



Hey Brother.mp3

Sadly, Beulah is no more. They broke up in 2004 and I cried (not really), because I never got to see them live.

There is a chance that I'll keep trying
To tell you the truth and end up lying to you.
*
So you held your breathe and you cursed the west
Said you had no choice--
You're moving back east where men are men.