Earlimart - Metro

Earlimart have evolved over the years from being a brash and noisy outfit to developing into an introspective and nuanced band of musicians. This change is fully realized on the band's latest release, Treble & Tremble. The album deals primarily with singer Aaron Espinoza's friendship with the late singer Elliott Smith, who died a little over a year ago. Themes of love and loss intertwine throughout with beautifully textured harmonies and instrumentation.

Live, the band's strengths are strongly reinforced. The grace and poetry found on the album are met with a supple strength and increased volume that recalls the band's past. The album's "All They Ever Do Is Talk" was particularly effective live, as the serene main passage of the song was shattered by a blistering middle and end. "Broke the Furniture" was equally impressive, while "Heaven Adores You" sent shivers down the audience's spine due to the beautiful timbre in Espinoza's voice, which is eerily reminiscent of Smith's.

Earlimart threw in only one non-Treble & Tremble track, a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "State Trooper". The song was a brilliant rethinking of the original, with the band rocking out the formerly acoustic song to great heights. While the show opener, "First Instant, Last Report", played out as elegantly live as it does on the album, with bassist/keyboardist Ariana Murray's siren like backing vocals hypnotizing the audience.

By mixing their past strengths with their present ones, coupled with one of the year's best releases, Earlimart are staking their claim to a future as one of the best bands in music.