The Llano Idea

The Sandwitches are a quaint indie-pop band hailing from San Francisco, one of the epicenters of music for the past couple of years (See: Girls, Thee Oh Sees, The Dodos, etc…). Bucking the trend of most lo-fi “summertime feel” acts who drench their music in heavy reverb and perpetual loops, this all-girl trio invokes harmonies from the 50s layered over simple garage guitar to generate emotions ranging from the feel-good to morose. Catchy as hell, it’s hard not to find yourself tapping your feet and humming the chorus when you hear their songs.

Their first LP, humorously called How to Make Ambient Sadcake, is out now on newly formed San Fran label Turn Up Records. Now I don’t know what exactly an “ambient sadcake” is, but this album isn’t as downtrodden as you might expect from such a title. The opening track, “Back to the Sea” is infectious to say the least — with the melody sounding like the illegitimate child of the Beach Boys and The Crickets. Hearing the vocals on Side A, I couldn’t help but think that folk group Mountain Man decided to throw away their banjos, pick up some electric guitars and start jammin’ some beach pop.

Side B, however, is filled with doom-and-gloom type songs, most notably the track “Marry Me” – a song about unrequited love ending with the jilted party kidnapping the object of her affection. The last track, “Thank You for Listening” is an apt summary of the entire album. Where the message of the song is endearing (”thannnnk you / for listening to me brother”), the lyrics are laid over discordant guitars, calling to question the genuineness of the repeated “Thank You”s and the “I Love You”s.

To give you at least a sense of what they’re like, here’s an mp3 of “

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UnclePhil Column, Music, review Mountain Man, The Sandwiches, Turn Up Records