Yoko

There are a few things to be said about Beulah's fourth album, Yoko. First, it's not entirely wrong to wonder if the title itself represents the obvious — that famous lady who's associated with things breaking up. Or it could very well be an acronym taken from the string-laced gem "You're Only King Once," but thoughts of heartbreaks and personal conclusions make Yoko breathe new life for Beulah. Some dealt with divorce during its recording and each member came to terms with accepting an "adult" way of life. Yoko is Beulah's most mature effort and darkest material to date, not to mention the band's bravest set. The sunny string and brass arrangements that made When Your Heartstrings Break and The Coast Is Never Clear so rich in texture aren't done away with completely, although loyalists might beg to differ at Beulah's decision to turn up the amps. Such a move shows how important it was for them to shed their twee pop style. Beulah is more than just a West Coast pop band. They have heart and soul in the vein of Wilco and the Flaming Lips, and that alone allows the beauty of Yoko to simply arrive. Roger Moutenot's and Miles Kurosky's shared production work is perfectly tailored to fit Yoko's melancholic charm while polished guitar hooks carry the weight of such sentimentality, specifically on "A Man Like Me" and "Landslide Baby." Lite pianos waltz with violins and woodwinds, adding to Yoko's moody aura on the cathartic "Me and Jesus Don't Talk Anymore." Kurosky's sincerity as a songwriter makes it clear that any kind of end doesn't have to be bitter, and "Fooled With the Wrong Guy" embraces this notion. Yoko, regardless of its many connotations, finds Beulah at a time where the bandmembers are personally and professionally comfortable. A switch in approach and sound definitely worked for them, and fans shouldn't be put off by Beulah's toughened confidence. [The 2006 edition came packaged with an additional CD of bonus material.]