The Light Footwork

One of my favorite bands since the late 90's has been the now-defunct Beulah. Beulah held down the sunny Califronia sunshine pop end of the Elephant 6 recording spectrum. They put out some of the most hummable, put-a-smile-on-your-face tunes of the last ten years. Unfortunately, they broke up last year.

Well, they're back baby! Not actually...but close. Members of Beulah have been caught contributing to the debut album from Palo Alto newbies The Light Footwork. The album is called "One State Two State" (perhaps a subtle tip of the hat to fellow northern Californian Pavement's "Two States") and, based upon the four songs available online, sounds like it could have come right out of Beulah's catalog. Although I wonder if they'll be hearing from Dr. Seuss' lawyers regarding the album's artwork.

I just learned of these guys yesterday due to a post on You Ain't No Picasso and the songs have very quickly grown on me. Hell, they didn't even need to grow on me. They arrived fully ripe and accessible. If you like these tracks, you can order the album directly from their website for a mere $8. 11 tracks for $8. Good deal.

The Light Footwork - Coastlines are Landmines (recommended)
The Light Footwork - Rapture Good, Rupture Bad
The Light Footwork - The Art of Everyday Conversation Part 1 (exclusive from You Ain't No Picasso)
The Light Footwork - Exit Row (from their MySpace site)

By the way, one other note, there is a live version of a new Belle & Sebastian tune also available on You Ain't No Picasso. The sound quality isn't great but if you are itching to hear something from their next album, here it is. Despite the sound quality, the song sounds promising.