Despite what
Don Was,
Van Dyke Parks, and others might claim,
Brian Wilson is not going to return to the peak of his powers. In his absence,
Sean O'Hagan might be the best available substitute. He's obviously done his homework, listening not only to all the albums between
Pet Sounds and
Surf's Up, but the widely circulated SMiLE bootlegs as well. Cheeky references to cuts like "Let's Get Away for a While" and "Surf's Up" pop up from time to time on this lush set, which takes its cues from both
Wilson's most melodic and most eccentric qualities (though the ten-minute flute solo on "Track Goes By" does this to excess). It's an impressive outing that sounds like little else in the alternative rock world of the mid-'90s. But it only establishes
O'Hagan and his various pals as charming emulators, rather than true innovators. ~ Richie Unterberger