REVIEW from beachboys.com: ...Matt Tyson has to be considered one of the few modern artists who can accurately capture not just the sound, but the feeling of 1960s surf & drag music. Not only is Matt a canny songwriter, but he's able to sing all the harmonies himself, very much like Brian Wilson was able to at times during The Beach Boys career. On this, his second (or third, or fourth, depending on if you count the free "covers" CDs he also offers with purchases of his albums) release, he serves up another thick slice of the California Myth on this, his latest in a prolific release schedule. The CD begins with a short invocation to surfing, "My Turn To Ride" and continues with a land-locked love letter "I Just Can't Reach The Beach". "Say You Love Me Again" is one of his few ballads, a sweet, Spector-ish production, followed by the title track, a reverent hymn to California, that contains a nod to "Caroline, No" in its heart-rendingly impassioned lyric, which name-drops several other artist's songs as it recounts the golden age of West Coast cultism. "I Wanna" is next, another lovely mid-tempo ballad, followed by a fascinating foray into 80s pop experimentalism: "Felicity" which smartly changes up the formula, taking the music into a different direction. "Land Lovin' Beauty" takes a cue from the doo-wop of "Car Crazy Cutie" while "Every Minute, Every Second" is another Spectorish cut, with a little nod to "Surfer Girl" in it's melody. "Top Down" sounds like a little brother to "Shut Down" with a little bit of The Shangri-Las "Leader of the Pack" in its bloodline. "Maui Breeze" is a sweet, misty paean to tropical beaches, while "The Big Kahuna" pays tribute to the monster waves of the Pacific islands. "Judy Knows Malibu" is a frenetic up-change in tempo, and sounds like the kind of song Matt Tyson can throw off in his sleep. The Malibus take a creative leap with the nine-minute-long "Tidal Wave (Water Suite)" which closes out the album - it's an ambitious suite filled with short instrumental/vocal "feels" stitched together exactly like Brian Wilson can create. My only hang up about The Malibus is that each album is a little sterile - a purely studio creation of one man - these songs would gain a new dimension if they could be played and sung live by a band (like, say, The Beach Boys!) That said, however, California Myth is yet another easily-recommendable album that Beach Boys fans should seek out. The Songs: My Turn To Ride The Wave Short little vocal intro piece Just Can't Reach The Beach Fun song about being landlocked in the mid-west and wishing for the surfer's life Lotsa vocals and twists at a break-neck speed Lyrics by Tim Kleier Say You Love Me Again Pure power pop with a strange chord structure in the verses California Myth Maybe the best lyric I ever wrote, about yearning for that left coast nirvana Another pretty bizarre chord structure that seems to work I Wanna Semi-Pet Sounds type song about longing for that "perfect" girl, lyrics again by Tim Felicity Written for Felicity Kendal, while watching "The Good Life" DVD collection. 60's power pop. Somewhere between "Wild Honey" and "Down At Lulu's"... Every Minute, Every Second Peaceful pop song in the style of Dennis Wilson Top Down More humorous Kleier lyrics in a straight-ahead surf/hotrod style Maui Breeze Buffet meets Beach Boys homage to a beautiful Island paradise. Lyrics by Tim, the choruses and ending are almost a mantra. The Big Kahuna Lyrics by Tyson & Kleier. A story song ala Jan & Dean, pretty straight forward surf arrangement. Judy Knows Malibu Title comes from seeing a real estate agent's internet advert. The rest is just 60's pop confection using the melody that popped in my head on seeing the ad. Lotta fun packed into two minutes. My Kind Of Girl More pure pop with a lot of hooks and vocal fun. Tidal Wave Large scale epic in the style of "Rio Grande" and SMiLE. Basically just a lot of little interesting bits of music and vocalizing. Lyrically it will, hopefully, evoke some good feelings for people of faith and love... and the happenstance of finding them.