System Preferences

by Daphne Chen, Earlimart, Scott McPherson, Denny Weston, Jr., Harry Trumfio

Overview

The stretch between System Preferences and Earlimart's previous album, Hymn and Her, was the longest gap between the band's releases, but in that time Aaron Espinoza remained busy in the studio, producing records for Ben Gibbard, the Henry Clay People, and Port O'Brien. Also, a collaboration with Grandaddy's Jason Lytle for Admiral Radley's I Heart California in 2010 played a big part in shaping the band's new direction. Even more so than before, comparisons with Grandaddy are unshakable on System Preferences, and as the techie Sophtware Slump-ish title suggests, electronic atmospherics are incorporated with Earlimart's usual dreamy, lovelorn sound. Still writing as a two-piece, Ariana Murray takes the wheel on a few titles. Her songs "Get Used to the Sound" and "10 Years" are generally closer to the dream pop variety, sweetly sung, and floating in echo. When her male counterpart takes the lead role, aside from the aforementioned spacy flourishes, songs like "Crestline, Ca.," "I'm a Safe Inside," and "A Goodbye" are dead ringers for Elliott Smith numbers, with similar Beatles-inspired chord progressions played in an intimate drum, bass, guitar, and piano setup. "Internet Summer" picks up the pace, as if to remind listeners that the group is still capable of brisk guitar pop, but the bulk of the album is elegant and bittersweet -- in fact, so low-key that it would be an easy album to overlook, which would be a shame since the songwriting caliber is at a career high. Instead of sounding labored and forced, System Preferences is gentle and effortless, as if it were recorded four months after Hymn and Her, instead of four years. ~ Jason Lymangrover

Product Details

Release Date:	10/30/2012
Label:	The Ship
UPC:	0614511805421
Rank:	86723

Tracks

Disc 1

1. U&Me
2. Shame
3. 10 Years
4. A Goodbye
5. 97 Heart Attack
6. Lovely Mary Ann

Disc 2

7. Crestline, CA.
8. I'm a Safe Inside
9. Get Used to the Sound
10. Sweater Weather
11. Internet Summer
12. Over Andover

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Earlimart   Primary Artist
Denny Weston, Jr.   Primary Artist
Harry Trumfio   Primary Artist
Davey Latter   Primary Artist
Michael Orendy   Primary Artist
Daphne Chen   Primary Artist
Scott McPherson   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Mark Chalecki   Mastering
Ariana Murray   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Aaron Espinoza   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer