The Lookyloos
At long last, a longplayer from this dreamy Davis-Sacramento combo, with a long-ass title nicked from Oscar Wilde and a cover painting by Old Ironsides proprietor Kim Kanelos. But it’s what’s in the grooves (or pits) that counts, and if you have a particular affection for the kind of jangly reinvention of the Brian Wilson California aesthetic as practiced by such Dunedin, New Zealand, bands as the Chills a decade or so ago, this certainly will fly your kite. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Eric Janssen has a unique facility for mating beautiful melodies, which gently ascend or descend, to smart lyrics; bandmates Dave Thompson on bass and Paul Takushi on drums provide Janssen with a graceful but loose platform for his understated (and nicely under-produced) brilliance. High points: “The Goats of Kashmir,” “Enchanted,” “I Love a Painter.” An exceptional debut.