LA-based Boardwalk has a great sound - it's a nice mixture of the shoegaze-inspired guitar rock sounds of Mike Edge, and Amber Quintero's sweet vocals. He skirts the edge of surf guitar with plenty of reverb, while she begins most of her vocal lines with a deep, almost heart-rending sigh. It's quite striking, yet at the same time very subdued. The name of the record, the time of year, and the reverb-soaked guitar - all fit in perfectly with the idea of an early fall walk by the ocean. And the waves of sound slowly wash ashore...
We've already written about them three times - and shared two advance tracks off the album, most recently here.
Here's a third track, "Crying" - with a chorus as sweet and sad as anything you'll hear this year. The harmony vocals are breathtaking:
Edge and Quintero met about a year ago, found instant chemistry together, and spent the intervening time putting together this record. He's the production genius, and to me his greatest triumph is building a sound that fits with and supports, yet never overwhelms, her dreamlike vocals - check out the cascading guitar lines over the last minute of "It's Over" or the fuzzy guitar lines overlaid with keyboards on "Some Things". There are a variety of treated guitar sounds, synths and a superb, understated rhythm section. This is a wonderful record, and we have the great folks at Stones Throw to thank.
Boardwalk at Stones Throw
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