Cassette - Beautiful California

Few of Devin Smith’s 35 tracks eclipse the one-minute mark, making the dorm-room wonder of Cassette's Beautiful California a difficult listen. The crux of the album is to ponder a different idea, thought or feeling for each song, though it goes without saying that Smith can’t ruminate too much or too deeply in such brevity. Beautiful California is the result of sometimes-manic, often-erratic creation, and Smith toys with electronics, lo-fi folky stuff and poppy melody goodness. The experiment has its good and bad points; the intentions surrounding the album are met, and often surpassed, but by the time we’ve become enamored with one Smith’s musical leaves, the wind has already whisked it away. At worst, these songs serve as solutions for that annoying space that’s left over on mixtapes. 18, 19, 36 seconds empty? Cassette is the remedy. [www.atomisk.com]