This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Their name conjures up images of FM’s glory days, when adventurous DJs would spin entire albums of psychedelia and experimental pop. And not surprisingly, their sound would have fit right in.
Led by two former members of cosmic country-pop outfit Beachwood Sparks and dreamy pop combo The Lilys, All Night Radio’s past achievements are definitely present in the grooves of their adventurous debut Spirit Stereo Frequency. But that’s just the starting point. This 42-minute program offers a 10-song set of hippy-dippy Laurel Canyon trippiness (with the occasional side-trip into Beckish Silver Lake folk-hop). The grooves gently drift along like a hammock. The vocals are airy and introspective. The melodies are lightly twangy and just a little folky. The freewheeling arrangements and instrumentation fly the freak flag high. There’s a layer of gauzy lysergic aural hallucination hovering on the periphery of the production. And the whole affair is soaked in layers of ringing reverb, cavernous echo, swirly phasers and wavering vibrato. In other words, this isn’t just your old radio. This is your old radio on drugs. Any questions?
