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Brian Wilson's latest solo album That Lucky Old Sun contains some truly charming musical moments but you may have to wade through some cheese to get to them. The 17 track album probably could have been cut down to be a really great 11 or 12 track album (I'd cut out the spoken word sections for a good start) if the production was a bit more alive. The problems with the album aren't really musical, they are aesthetic. Wilson's voice is weak at times, the production is sterile, and the lyrics are sometimes cheesy. Once you get over that and really listen to the music, it really contains some cool musical moments. "Midnight's Another Day" is probably the most moving song on the album. The "all these people make me feel so alone" with the incredible harmony vocals gives me a case of the chills and that's not something I get from music often. There's nobody that writes vocals lines quite like Brian Wilson. There's an intrinsic beauty there that's so purely musical. There's just nothing quite like it. The song also segues perfectly into the reprise of the title track which is definitely another highlight of the album. It's Wilson at his harmonious best. That leads into the next song, "Going Home" which is definitely a mixed bag. The verses sounds a bit silly to me but the acapella sections are incredible. I thought that when I first heard the song live over a month ago and I think that now when I hear it on the record. It's one of those "wow" moments but sadly it's surrounded by a pretty generic sounding song with silly sounding vocals. This beautiful moment also includes the album's best lyric: "At 25 I turned out the light 'cause I couldn't handle the glare in my tired eyes, but now I'm back drawing shades of kind blue sky." "Good Kind Of Love" is another album highlight. Wilson really captures that "perfect pop single" sound on this one. Unlike some of the other songs on the album it isn't marred by silly sounding vocals or bad lyrics. "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl" is another song that sees Wilson wistfully looking back at this 60s past. And it's another home run on this album. Sure his voice isn't particularly strong due to his age but it in a way it only makes the longing emotion of the song all that much more powerful. It's really an album that continues to grow on me with each listen. It's an album that may put you off on first listen due to some superficial elements (production, his voice, the spoken word sections) but I think you will love it the more you listen to it. It truly contains some of the most beautiful moments in music I've heard in recent memory. No, it's not Smile or Pet Sounds but it's certainly worth a listen or 20.
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