Title: The soundtrack to a different California...
Review: An album that bears many many listenings, without ever growing old or stale. The music itself is jazz-pop, and the lyrics are far better poetry than anything that comes between the covers of books these days. "Harry's house/Centerpiece" is perhaps the best song, a surreal, bluesy stroll through suburban ennui. In an image similar to that of David Lynch's opening to "Blue Velvet," Mitchell's theme album-wide is how the hissing sound of sprinklers on California's green lawns masks the barbarity of "the Jungle Line" hiding beneath the surface. California is no longer the sunshiney, fun place that the Beach Boys sang about; Joni Mitchell sang about the transition before it became apparent. Joni Mitchell is one of the most influential jazz-pop artists of the 2nd half of the 20th century and this album is a central example of why.
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