Rock and roll is alive and well!!! As proof I submit for evidence the excellent record from SF garage hero Mikal Cronin (see also exhibits from The Oh Sees, The Fresh and Onlys, The So So Glos, Sonny and the Sunsets, Nobunny, and Ty Segall, many of whom I am sure will be referenced in depth on this site at a later time). Cronin has played second fiddle of sorts to Ty Segall for awhile but really stepped out of that shadow on this record (which is better, though only slightly, than Segall's effort from last year) and has become one of my favorite new things to happen in quite awhile. There is something in his writing and structure that is so punchy and just delivered with such velocity that it just knocks you on your ass (see Gone as a prime example). Perhaps this is a result of his age (dude is barely legal ladies), I don't know, what I do know is he references everything from great '60s psych, to early '90s college radio heyday lo-fi anthems, to Neil Young anthemic rock and/or fucking roll, and does it better than anyone else right now. It's so completely unexpected to have something, or rather someone, perfect something that has been done for so long and so many times before.
Which brings us to the remarkable West Coast IPA from one of my favorite breweries, Green Flash. The west coast IPA is everywhere. They are generally some sort of hopbomb, caramel colored, off balance micro-trend. Well, so is this, but holy shit is it good. As soon as you open this guy up it is just this huge piney citrusy nose that follows all the way through. This thing will blow out your palate for sure, but you know, in that good way. So many breweries have made this over the years that it is hard to find something that stands out. For me there are two things that make this world-class; the smoothness--most hopbombs are so bitter and just finish on the weak end this is solid from front-to-back, and complexity--there isn't just one note here, there is the floral, the citrus, even some biscuit happening--just crazy richness all around.
So, why put these two together? With Cronin you are likely to be immediately drawn to the blown out fuzz, lo-fi feel, similar to how the massive hop profile is going to demand your focus with the Green Flash offering. But people, there is so much more here. At the risk of being cliched, there is craft in both of these little gems. At the heart of the Cronin record lives a songwriter trying to break out from those young years into a sort of adulthood. Someone that demands respect and speaks to something that we have all probably gone through. But he does so in such a hard charging manner, that sort of arrogance that can only come from someone who: 1) doesn't know any better and 2) is truly ready to take on the world, no more second fiddle. Green Flash is in a similar situation. If you are on the west coast you are going to compete with the big-boys; Sierra Nevada and Anchor Steam, the godfathers if you will. But these cats are ready to take that step and really break away from the pack. The amount of flavor here is so bold, almost challenging the drinker, and the craft beer world-at-large. It's loud and needs a record like the Cronin album that demands maximum volume. Turn it up, tip it up, welcome to the next big thing.
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