The celebration of the new year has come and gone, leaving us wonder what is next in this decade of mystery. 2010 was supposed to be the year where we all had our jetpacks, robotic dogs, and food that all came in pill form. Instead we are plowing along as usual, waiting to see what this year really has in store for us. If anything, I am more anticipatory of what the summer will bring. While I hope to have a natural, orange, chicken wing glow abound on my skin, I'm also excited to see what musicians will be the ones that ring melodies to my memories. Fortunately, I believe one band I have come across recently, known as The Orange Peels, will add their summer time sounds from "2020", their newest record released on November 10th, 2009
The Orange Peels, from Sunnyvale, California, have a sound remiscent of the beach pop scene that was so prevalent in the late 1960s. If I was to place any band on a mixtape with them, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and The Polyphonic Spree immediately come to mind. However, don't misplace their easygoing sound with something that might otherwise be deemed gimmicky or stale. The Orange Peels have had a great amount of success in the years that they have been together, with their single "Hello Goodbye" from Circling The Sun (2005) being recently featured on an iPhone commercial. Other songs from album, including the title track, made commerical debut and landed the band on the indie radar. While corporate sponsorship has traditionally been looked down upon by the indie music scene, you can't help but smile and sing along with their music.
Off of their more recent album, 2020 (2009), The Orange Peels have a song called "Birds of a Feather" which has also been raved about by music critics alike. The song was initially written for an animated film, although not chosen for it, but still made quite a fluster after being written, recorded, and produced in under 48 hours. This work ethic proves the great lengths that The Orange Peels are willing to go in order to have a successful career. Here is a small exerpt from the band that describes not only the band themselves, but the sound that has currently captivated my ears:
"After laying in the tracks from Portland, I started working out the harmony parts, adding four tracks of call-and-response backing vocals to the choruses, and two tracks of Queenish, ELO-inspired harmonies to the second part of verse 2. A touch of Mellotron strings here, some handclaps there, and some swoony oooohs and aaaas and lalas later, the song was DONE. We were calling it “Let's Stick Together,” but at sometime during my restless sleep, it occurred to me “Birds of a Feather” was way cooler sounding and actually did a better job of conveying the message of the song."
Handclaps? Call-and-response? Before hearing the song and reading this description on their myspace blog, I was immediately sold. What 
surprised me the most was that The Orange Peels aren't just a random start up, but actually have a catalog of music dating back to 1994! After going back and listening to the various records, I haven't had anything that left a bad taste in my mouth, even when it was just Allen Clap (vocalist) while under the title "Allen Clap and His Orchestra". Despite label changes, producer swaps, and lineup twists, The Orange Peels have remained true to their indie pop sound and have provided the California indie music scene with nothing but smiles, feverish toe tapping, and warmth radiating from the complex notes that they dare to deliver night after night. This is a group that will remind you of why there is reason to smile on the first spring days, the beauty in a strangers smile, and where the music scene really should be in a time where it seems to be mucked up by such atrocities as autotune and shallow lyrics.
So, is it safe to say that I like The Orange Peels? Well, is Zooey Daschenel the best looking thing on the planet? (the answer is yes, incase you do happen to lack any bit of eyesight.) "2020" is all around a beautiful combination of melodic pop, hopeful vibes, and wonderful stage presence. All I know is that as far as creating a summer playlist while I lay lazily in the sun, this group will be quite near the top of my list. While they currently do not have any tour dates posted, hopefully they will be kind enough to grace us in the near future. Want to hear some of the tunes for yourself? Feel free to check out the link to their myspace. The Orange Peels, a sweet musical fruit that survives the growing frost of winter temperatures and blues.
Have any comments for me or the review? Leave them below! Otherwise, you can find me on Twitter, where I occasionally make music recommendations, share music news, and will let you know when I have a new blog up instantly. My handle is @MarkWellMyWords. Also, I don't want to just be a random music critic, so want to get to know me more? You can ask me a question, anything, on my formspring page!
www.formspring.me/thesimpleson
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