This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Back when Brian Wilson was making pop masterpieces like Pet Sounds, he had to have a studio, a ton of gear and a room full of players and engineers — all on the clock. No wonder he lost it.
These days, thanks to technology, a budding Beach Boy can do the same thing in his attic, by himself, on the cheap. And plenty do. But frankly, not many do it as superbly as Rick Gallego, the musical wunderkind of Cloud Eleven. He plays pretty much everything but drums on this stunning self-produced debut, and heaven only knows how long it took him. These dozen tracks have layer upon intricate layer of breezy British invasion harmonies, power-pop guitars that crunch and jangle like Matthew Sweet, and stylish, psychedelic production that makes you remember what stereo is for. I expect it’ll be quite a wait for the followup — but something tells me it’ll be worth it.
