Hoy!

Overall Album Score: 9.0 out of 10

They just seem to get better and better ... the funny thing is the music is just a more refined and better version of All Summer Long. Brian Wilson, the genius behind the band, continues to slowly learn about production techniques and also continues to slowly improve his songwriting. And well! This is a gem of an album! Plus, there's hardly even a weak spot here.

We all know the songs "Do You Wanna Dance?," "Help Me Rhonda" and "Dance Dance Dance," but there are a few non-famous gems as well. Whoever dares say a bad word about songs like the extremely catchy "When I Grow Up" or the heart-warming ballad "Please Let Me Wonder" risk getting beat up by ME!!! (I'll fight you any day, noodle arms.) These great songs are another brick in these guys' inpenetrable legacy. So what if they asploded somewhere around 1967?

It's funny that they end the album with five ballads. As we know, the Beach Boys are universally hailed for their ballads, but I think they're the weak spot of Today!. Two of the album's weakest songs (barring the chat between the band members in "Bull Session") are ballads. These songs I speak of, "I'm So Young" and "Kiss Me Baby," are relatively boring, and they don't have heavenly harmonic vibes to back it up. Naturally, the other ballads are excellent. It's physically impossible to even mildly dislike "She Knows Me Too Well." The harmonic progressions are of the gods!

It's not that I want to end the album's assessment on a negative note, but Today! does have its drawbacks. Just the same, this thing screams to be listened to. Are you up to the task? Yesssssssssssssssssssss????????????

Overall Album Score: 9.0 out of 10 (These guys continue to prove their legacy. The production is stronger and thicker than their previous efforts. Some of these songs are absolutely heavenly. The ones that aren't still give us a good run, because the production is so good.)

Average Song Score: 9.0 (Solid songs all around! The only weak part is the conversation piece (heh) at the end.)

Album Tilt: 9.0 (It's a solid album through and through. Maybe separating the ballads and the pop rockers wasn't the best idea, but that hardly destroyed the effort.)

Artist Rating: 9.0 (Brian Wilson continues to explore his prowess!!!)

Track Reviews

Do You Wanna Dance 10/10

The Beach Boys are getting even more complex in their songs and arrangements, although it's not radically different from the stuff from their previous work. This song certainly sounds refined, and shows these guys at the top of their game! This is an almost thundering rocker with a thick atmosphere. The melody is catchy and great! Wooooooooooo!!!!

Good to My Baby 9.5/10

Just love the hooks! Again, the instrumentation is so thick that it hurts. The melody is utterly complex (it's based on a rather simple groove, but it goes through interesting stages of development).

Don't Hurt My Little Sister 8.5/10

This is another extremely well done song but not an instantly memorable rock song. The melody is pretty fine (with some good vocal harmonies inserted for good measure), but not quite as hooky as the other songs. It still makes a great listen and it can hardly be considered a 'kink.'

When I Grow Up (To Be a Man) 10/10

They use a dulcimer-like instrument in here, but that's not the best part of the song. The melody is excellent here--verrrrrry catchy. The vocal harmonies in the middle of the track are enough to be utterly heartmelting. Again, the songwriting is absolutely complex ... this is why everybody says Brian Wilson is a genius. I like the lyrics, too ...

Help Me, Rhonda 9.5/10

This is one of the album's more recognizable tunes. The melody is classic Beach Boys! It seems strange that, at three minutes, this is one of the album's more lengthy tunes. Not that the previous ones seem underdeveloped, but I do like to be immersed into a song for a longer time. (The volume keeps switching to high and low toward the end of this track ... Why???)

Dance, Dance, Dance 10/10

Give me this song for a million dollars! You've got to love these chord progressions ... ooooo!!! The melody manages to gain distinction as another one of the album's best. As an added bonus, this one probably is a good song to dance to if you are so inclined

Please Let Me Wonder 9.5/10

The first of the album's five ballads. I like it better when they separate them out more, but ... whatever's fine! Ballads were always these guys' strength, so maybe they wanted to go out on the highest possible note? This is a great and engaging ballad with their excellent sense of harmonies. Nobody would have accepted anything less from them!! The melody is fine but probably not their best.

I'm So Young 8/10

For the life of me, I find this album BORING. Like the harmonies and the melody is fairly hooky, but .................... it's boring. I find the chord progressions to be pretty dull here. This doesn't seem to impressive to me!

Kiss Me Baby 8/10

I really like the atmosphere of this ballad as everyone should. The production is utterly thick and refined, which can only go to improve it. The melody doesn't do much to compel me, but maybe it's not supposed to?

She Knows Me Too Well 10/10

Yay! This is easily the best of the ballads. This song is absolutely heavenly. The Beach Boys always excel best at ballads when they find some very resonant chord progressions. It also helps that they sing like wimpy angels!!

In the Back of My Mind 8.5/10

Quite a bit better than "I'm So Young" and "Kiss Me Baby" although this isn't the world's greatest piece of balladry ever to come out of these guys' heads. The instrumentation is pretty good, though. There's an assortment of strings, woodwinds, and you even hear a pizzacato string every once in awhile. Highly creative! The melody is pretty good too, but not incredibly memorable.

Bull Session with "Big Daddy" 7/10

I'm not too sure what the reason is they release these conversation tracks ... this time, they're ordering junk food. So.................................

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