Parasol Records : Labels : Hidden Agenda : Bikeride : Morning Macumba

Featuring artwork that meticulously emulates an obscure Brazilian Forro artist's LP jacket - specifically Canta, Canta, Minha Gente by Martinho da Vila - Morning Macumba is the first full-length album of new material from this Southern Cal collective since 1999's 37 Secrets I Only Told America, which was followed in 2000 by a collection of Bikeride singles and assorted waycoolness entitled Summer Winners, Summer Losers.

Uncut, Mojo, Entertainment Weekly, Magnet, Bucketful Full of Brains, CMJ, and many other music publications have praised the band's previous indie-pop releases, which sound like the strong-willed American cousins to the even more adventurous and even more exotic Morning Macumba. Most of the writing was completed in Brazil during a recent trip to South America where Carbone wove regional music influences into his luscious pop arrangements. The instrumental opener, "Radio Ougadougou" gets the maracas shaking, for the rest of the album. Even when Carbone and band toss out the pop-tested, gang chorus 'hey's in "Fakin' Amnesia" or 'sha-la-la-la's in "Norwegia" they're sung against unusual sonic collages. Additional time has obviously been spent twiddling knobs in the studio on this new outing, as Bikeride's trademarked hooks and unrestrained energy are now augmented by bubbling electronics and increased studio earcandy. Toe-tapping, good vibrations and jaunty, genuine guitar-pop orchestrations for fans of those summer feelings, The Apples In Stereo, Terry Hall, bossa nova, The Beach Boys, and Burt Bacharach.

"This collection of gorgeous, fully formed '60s international vocal pop may have been written mostly on a trip to Brazil and ooze French and English accents, but its essence is vintage California pop in the sunshine-can't-cure-me tradition of the Beach Boys, Burt Bacharach, Nilsson, even the Mamas & the Papas. How such grand, embraceable vocal harmonies have flown so long under the radar is a bit of a mystery, but "Morning Macumba" is Bikeride's fourth album, and once again former Loyola Marymount student Tony Carbone delivers a handful of perfect surprises. "Fakin' Amnesia" is a driving, guitar-and-piano clap-tracker in the spirit of Apples in Stereo. On "Moonracing," Carbone lets his chalky, endearing, sometimes Wreckless Eric delivery drop down to an Elliott Smith hush and milks some lo-fi instrumentation. But "Norwegia" is the reason to keep this album on constant repeat, a softly psychedelic jangle rocker with a soaring, harmony-drenched chorus of "la la las" that connect with the universe. If you don't catch yourself whistling this one later, you better check your pulse." --Dean Kuipers
other Bikeride releases