If
Brian Wilson and
the Left Banke had ever teamed up to do a record, it might have sounded something like
Summer Fiction's self-titled debut.
Summer Fiction leader
Bill Ricchini has a splendid way with a melody that recalls
the Beach Boys' artier days of the '60s (think Pet Sounds and
Smile), while his use of strings, keyboards, and horns suggests the Baroque magic
Michael Brown brought to
the Left Banke's first LP. But even though
Ricchini is as much a romantic as either
Wilson or
Brown, his songs feel cooler and less profoundly neurotic; in the grand tradition of great pop tunesmiths he's sometimes puzzled by the ways of the human heart, but you can imagine him getting a girl worth having, and
Summer Fiction's music would make a fine accompaniment for the film version of their story (figure
Wes Anderson or Whit Stillman to direct). With a small army of talented musicians backing up
Ricchini (including members of Buried Beds and
B.C. Camplight),
Summer Fiction has the widescreen grandeur of a grand scale production of the '60s, but while the album sounds rich, it's never overdone, and
Ricchini's touch is light enough to make all the details count both separately and cumulatively, not just as a huge mass of sound (and his ability to create something this beautifully crafted on a low budget is truly impressive).
Summer Fiction has smarts to spare, but it also has plenty of heart, and
Ricchini has made that rarity, an indie pop album that's intelligent and tuneful but with no taint of hipster irony. This is music that's as honest as it is elegant, and it's a true find sure to delight and intrigue anyone with a taste for classic pop. ~ Mark Deming