The Orange Peels Circling The Sun Parasol, 2005 amazon

I really expected the third Orange Peels album to be a big letdown. It's been four years since i was introduced to them by their brilliant sophomore effort, 2001's So Far. In the two years after that i was entranced with all things Allen Clapp, even heading from Boston down to NYC one weekend to see him play a solo show at the March Records tenth anniversary. I was lucky enough to talk to him at that show, and was amazed that both he and his wife remembered me as the expat Californian who posted on their website. Although the songwriting was still top-notch, i wasn't too taken with Clapp's 2002 solo album Available Light, as i found it drifted a bit too far from the addictive indie pop of the Peels and into adult contemporary. With the departure of former Mummies guitarist Larry Winthers, i feared the rock influence in the band was gone and the next Peels record would be Available Light v2.0. How wrong i was. The opening song of 2005's Circling the Sun, "Something In You", surges forward with a typically sweet Allen Clapp guitar riff, backed by some nice production work on the drum, bass, and keyboard sounds. "California Blue" is a wistful ballad in the tradition of "The Pattern on the Wall", while the title track is a straightforward upbeat pop song. I can see how anyone outside of the Bay Area may scratch their head a bit at the Orange Peels, seeing as every other lyric is about some local landmark. "So Right" is a mostly-unchanged version of a song from Available Light, but features a catchy piano-laden hook. The sort of rockabilly guitar that Winthers brought to the table persists in songs like "I Don't Wanna Shine". "Long Cold Summer" evokes memories of the Orange Peels first album Square, in particular "I Don't Mind the Rain". In fact, the whole album returns to the simple yet effective melodies and harmonies of Clapp and co.'s early recordings. A Bay Area treasure to place beside the Golden Gate and Fisherman's Wharf.

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