Really Real for Forever

They Say...

Review by j. poet, All Music Guide

The Billionaires are from Martha's Vineyard, children of the poor working stiffs who make a living catering to the "summer people," although they now live in L.A. where they're part of the city's thriving indie rock scene. Many pop bands, especially young ones, use the sounds of the past as a template, hewing so closely to classic formulas that they might as well be cover bands. The Billionaires don't have that problem. They produce a bright, sunny vibe that's pure pop, with a rare intelligence, and while some of the influences still show, they're remarkably original. "The End of Summer Song" is a bright little pop-funk tune that brings the Beach Boys to mind, although the four-part harmonies don't sound at all like the Wilsons and the new wavey beat has a lot more swing than Dennis ever managed. The harmonies are so sweet they almost induce diabetes. "Highschool High" has a beautiful guitar hook to complement a moving tale of young love facing the beginning of adulthood that comes after graduation. The harmonies are both uplifting and poignant. "Eighties Movies," a duet by Laura Jordan and Tim Laursen, laments the corrupting influences of teen fantasies with a bright-eyed belief in the redeeming power of true love, a groovy guitar solo, dreamy keyboard triplets, and those giddy gushing harmonies. "Pass the Bottle" is a three-chord rave-up, a mindless rocker with distorted lead guitar and sloppy unison vocals guaranteed to get any party moving, while the bouncy folk-rock of "Butterflies" uses a processed vocal to gives it a vintage '70s singer-songwriter feel. The album loses a bit of steam in its second half, but what's good about the band -- songwriting, harmonies, lead vocals, songwriting, and arranging -- is very good indeed. Their next outing should be really impressive. Now if someone could explain why there's a map of Africa coming out of the exhaust of their pickup truck on the cover art everything would be peachy.