Unwilling to let the summer go? Wouldn't an excellent collection of dream pop be an ideal way of extending it? Well, Shelflife Records, one of our finest purveyors of pop things twee, indie, dreamy and jangling, has just what you need. The Majestic 12 Years collects the entire 1994-1998 output of Southern California's Majestic -- seven tracks from the three 7" recordings and six previously unreleased tracks.
With a layer of guitars that will remind the listener of indie pop legends Galaxie 500, elegant melodies and boy/girl vocals, this album is a great reminder of just how good west coast indie pop was in the years of Britpop and '90s alternative rock. The initial group, known as Majestic 12, consisted of Scott Schultz (vocals/guitar), Jana Wittren Heller (vocals), Ammon Watene (vocals/guitar), Steve Berrett (bass), and Aaron Watene (drums). Jana departed for another project in '97, and the others continued as Majestic and recorded a couple of records for Shelflife. The songs cover a few different styles, but all of it is the sort of timeless pop that seems appropriate for any age and, despite my opening line for this post, any season. I will give you a bit of a warning: This album is packed with ear worms. Not only was it a pleasure to listen to it multiple times while evaluating it for review, I find myself squeezing in a few tracks every day.
Majestic 12 - Nothing on TV from RaisingHeller on Vimeo.
The Majestic 12 Years is out now on Shelflife Records. If you order the CD, you receive an immediate MP3 download of the album.
Myspace page
Shelflife Records page for album
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