Everest

Upon first impressions of this L.A. quintet, it's easy to see how they landed on Neil Young's label and are currently opening for the man across North America. This debut album has all the earmarks of vintage '70s L.A. folk rock, with just enough of Young's patented edge to stir the mix. Chemistry among all the members is certainly something that Everest tries hard to achieve, and the overall sound of Ghost Notes is marked by a slickness that one might expect from a bunch of L.A. scene vets. And while they hardly achieve the symbiosis of the Band, thankfully they're not Counting Crows or Train either. Still, there's something lacking in front-man Russell Pollard's performance, which barely distinguishes one song from the next despite some obvious attempts at resurrecting Elliott Smith. Therefore, with no particularly compelling reason to recommend this album, it could be said that the only excuse to listen to Everest's Ghost Notes is, well, because it's there.