La Costa Perdida (Bonus Track Version)

What made Camper Van Beethoven one of the best bands of the '80s was its casual feel, the way it blended any musical style it had vaguely heard about and turned it into a confident sound of its own. CVB was never meant to be a serious band with spreadsheet-ready progress reports to determine its next move. Its temporary breakup ended up being a self-protecting way of keeping the band alive and vital. Nine years since the excellent New Roman Times, CVB is naturally recharged on La Costa Perdida, an album recorded at the home studio of multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Segel. His weeping violin was always the band's special weapon, and here it can be heard adding energy to the street march of "Someday Our Love Will Sell Us Out," the hardcore-to-ska ramble "Peaches in the Summertime," and the wistful country ballad "Northern California Girls." This bonus edition is essential, since the four acoustic demos capture another side of three of the album's songs and "My Invisible Car."