It’s fortunate that not many people know about the Santa Cruz-based ambient rock group Bethany Curve, because without taking up space describing the type of music they make, this review would have very little to say. You see, Flaxen, their latest album, isn’t bad – it just happens to sound a lot like their previous two albums.

To give them credit, their formula is relatively unique. Although they’re comprised of the standard rock setup of vocals, two guitars, bass and drums, the meaning of their words sublimates to irrelevance beneath guitars distorted to fuzzy blankets of sound hanging atop muted bass with cymbals clanging and swishing above. Their songs tend to drone on one theme, though one of the subtle changes on Flaxen is a transition to a form more reminiscent of rock music, with shorter songs and faster, more immediate percussion.

In spite of this, Bethany Curve’s music still sounds very stoneresque. The two instrumental ambient pieces, “Omaha Beach” and “Utah Beach,” are positively trippy, conjuring up images of – what else? – beaches, strangely depopulated in unnaturally calm weather. The main problem with the album, though, is that it’s too short, particularly for music that lends itself to being played in the background. With six tracks in 26 minutes, it’s got even less music than Weezer’s Green Album, and yet they still call it an LP. This could be due to their recent label switch, or it could be another sign that they’re treading water creativity-wise. Flaxen shows they’ve still got enough variations on their themes to make a few nice tunes nonetheless.
[Ian King might possibly lack joints. Really. It’s fuckin’ nuts.]