The two hundred and seventeenth album: #217 The Beach Boys - Surf's Up

There's something odd about this album. The first seven tracks fall into the band's surf rock feel, nice poppy songs that build on their heritage but add more meaningful lyrics. It's decent, a nice move to get something more out of it, but I could see why it wouldn't have had as much of an impact.

Then, for the last three songs, Brian Wilson's personal tracks come in. The three songs are sombre and more contemplative, the harmonies working really well to create a pessimistic feeling, darker than what came before and this completely different direction to what came before. They're what make you think in this album, perhaps not their strength, but it's a far more interesting direction for this music to go.