Poppy Seeds

The Corner Laughers fulfill the tradition of great sunny California pop music with harmonies and melodies that shimmer and shine. At times they recall the state's premiere pop bands of old, from The Beach Boys and Bread to Fleetwood Mac. With a decidedly retro feel that's also been heard in recent music by Belle & Sebastian, The Explorers Club, and Camera Obscura, Corner Laughers express a joy that even permeates their moments of melancholia. Poppy Seed can serve as a love letter to the Golden State. Singer/ukulele player Karla Kane adds plaintive vocals that could have been featured front and center for The Free Design, such is the easeful pleasure of "The Perfect Weather." Sharp-as-glass electric guitars curl around "Grasshopper Clock." "Bells of El Camino" bounces for two and a half minutes with an arrangement that's both ornate and perfectly suited to the sentiments, a true pocket symphony. These sugary confections virtually defy gravity as the hooks of "8:18," "I'd Rather Count Cormorants with You," and "Laughing Stars" bring out the best in their guitar-based pop music.