The Dilettantes

Founded by Joel Gion, formerly of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Dilettantes tackle nostalgic ’60s pop. Comparisons to the Byrds and the Kinks could be made but they would be unfair since the tracks on 101 Tambourines simply aren’t that good, though they do have enough tambourines to warrant the title. There is an awful lot of ’60s-inspired simplicity, which is explicitly apparent on opening track "Ready to Go” and "The Whole World,” both of which build on bopping guitar, excruciatingly obvious vocals, gentle drums and a heavy dose of tambourine. Tracks like "Don’t You Ever Fall” and "You’re Going to Need More Time,” however, take a dirty ’60s path with darker vocals, rockier guitars and, of course, tambourines. Though there are some redeeming moments, "You’re Going to Need More Time” being one of them, it feels as if is something lacking — a certain amount of depth is completely absent. The blame cannot be laid, however, on the fact that they have tried to create a ’60s era album 40 years after the fact, as many stellar groups — see Joel Plaskett — have achieved the authenticity of the era without the help of a time machine.