Thirty-Seven Secrets I Only Told America

Bikeride is the nom de four track of one Tony Carbone, a California-based home recording enthusiast with a clear sense of pop history. Which is basically a really polite way of saying that Bikeride's second album, 37 Secrets I Only Told America, is kinda lo-fi and really derivative but, despite its flaws, the essential lack of pretension makes the album an enjoyable if slight listen. The usual suspects are all present and accounted for, with obvious influences from Burt Bacharach, the Beach Boys, Todd Rundgren (especially on the funky '70s rock of the opening "Erik and Angie"), and any number of '60s soft pop artists in Carbone's agreeably light and airy songs. Song titles like "That's Math!" (actually a summery bossa nova with multi-layered wordless vocals) and "America"s Favorite Omelettes" fit perfectly with the offhand, rough-edged arrangements, but occasional indulgences like the 45-second exercise in stereo panning "Do You Like Ping Pong" and the vintage synth experiment "Clean Spots, Clean Living" detract a bit from the charms of the surrounding songs. Overall, though, this is a fun one.