Andrew Rodriguez

Five years in the making, Andrew Rodriguez has carefully crafted a varied, true blue pop record that connects the exploratory studio trickery of the mid-’60s with the sheen of late ’70s production. The former Bodega front-man called upon some old and new friends to drop by his home studio and contribute to his catchy compositions, which are alternately clever and basic. The dreamy "Astonished Heart” owes much to the influence of the Beatles, while "The Man Who Never Knows” is the kind of extraordinary observation of the everyday that McCartney perfected with Wings. Rodriguez and guest vocalist Angela Desveaux clearly had fun with the phrasing of the latter’s unique chorus, and there’s a similar kind of playfulness to the slightly island-themed "Coconuts.” The talented Desveaux returns, this time for beautiful lead vocals on "Come on In,” which finds her propelling a half-realised composition. Amongst the best songs here, the sugary sweet "What I Done” actually conjures the Flaming Lips, while the precious pop of "Bring Yourself Up” and the title track again recall ’60s Brit-pop influences and are also bolstered by Desveaux. Clearly talented, Andrew Rodriguez pulls out all of the stops for the slick and ambitious Here Comes the Light.