Earlimart
Issue #33
Mentor Tormentor (Majordomo)
By Anna Breshears
Published: September 1st, 2007 | 12:00am
On its fifth release, L.A.-based Earlimart continues to whisk folky harmonies and strummy, understated guitar into tasty, ready-to-serve portions of power-pop lite. On Mentor Tormentor, written and produced by core members Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray, the band sticks with what it does best by delivering the engaging melodies and heart-on-sleeve romanticism its fans expect.
Mentor Torm starts on a melancholy note, with Espinoza and Murray’s muted, whispery voices sliding into a barrage of rebounding, bombastic drums on “Fakey Fake” before seamlessly segueing into the grand pop on “Answers and Questions.” After “Nevermind the Phone Calls”’ chirpy propulsive run, Mentor lulls with a trio of homogenous ballads until the chugging rocknroll of “Everybody Knows Everybody” and the charming “do-do-dos” in “Gonna Break Into Your Heart” knock it out of its stupor. The album then again moves into a group of songs that are pleasant enough, but don’t give you much to hang onto. It’s not until Mentor’s closing pair that we’re back in: the squeaky shoe beat of “Nothing Is True” and the ’70s AM-radio jam “Cold Cold Heaven” are well-executed pop triumphs.
Although Mentor lacks variety, it luxuriates in warm, balanced textures. Espinoza may be a better producer than he is a songwriter: he knows exactly when to introduce a piano line or add a smattering of reverb or additional instrumentation without ever overcrowding the sonic landscape. But ultimately, like the date you have everything in common with but just aren’t that attracted to, Mentor Tormentor could use a little more game. By staying within their comfort zone, Espinoza and Murray fail to propel Earlimart forward, and the results, though likeable, seem routine.
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