Earlimart - Mentor Tormentor

Earlimart will release their fifth LP, Mentor Tormentor, August 21st on Majordomo Records-- an imprint formed as a partnership between Earlimart and Shout! Factory. This effort will follow their 2004 release, Treble & Tremble, which was received warmly by critics and indie-pop fans alike. Mentor Tormentor is a 15-track affair written and produced by Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray at The Ship, the band's studio in Eagle Rock, CA. Earlimart completed this album some time back, but shopped it around and saw a few record deals fall apart prior their decision to put this album out essentially on their own. There is an impressive stylistic diversity present, from upbeat pop numbers to more ballad-orientated cuts, along with a few rockers. My initial favorites tend to be of the more poppy variety; "Nevermind the Phonecalls", "Bloody Nose", and "Nothing is True" all stood out upon a first listen. Among of the band's most defining characteristics is frontman Aaron Espinoza's breathy vocals, which often sound quite reminiscent of his late friend, Elliott Smith. "Nothing is True" is a vaguely melancholy number guised as a twee head-bobber. The song relies mostly on acoustic guitar and piano but is fleshed-out nicely by an excellent whistling bit and a brief Beatles-type found sound “dream” sequence serving as a bridge about 3/4 of the way through. If you enjoy the tunes below, you'll find plenty to like about Mentor Tormentor.

MP3: Earlimart - "Nevermind the Phonecalls" (link via Pitchfork)
MP3: Earlimart - "Think About Me" (link via Pitchfork)



Earlimart on the web.