Music for Listening Music To is a fourth studio album by a Californian band La Sera and its lead singer Katy Goodman, ex bass guitarist of Vivian Girls. It also marks the first album where Todd Wisenbaker appears as a full member and a husband of the duo's second, prettier half. Previous albums Katy recorded under the name La Sera were 2011 La Sera, 2012 Sees The Light, and 2014 Hour Of The Dawn.
On these predecessors, the influence of the 60s girl pop bands was conspicuous. Arrival of Wisenbaker into the band has oriented the sound to the new direction. Instead of music that paints landscapes of Californian beaches, Wisenbaker’s vocal and guitar, and Ryan Adams' production take us to the areas of Southern California. Although Goodman's startling vocal is still dominant, Wisenbaker interpretation contributes beautifully in their duets, which gave the best result in pop folk number I Need An Angel.
Mesmerizing pop melodies are still the band's forte. The Smith's impact is present in melancholic atmosphere of the verses (Morrissey's influence is also obvious in vocal arrangements) while A Thousand Ways is an example of how Johhny Marr's guitar sound was also duo's guiding star.
La Sera are at their best when they are balancing between genres, and eclecticism is a key characteristic of this record. With Adams production and introjection of folk elements, the album emerged as a coherent piece of music. Btw, the whole record was analogally recorded in only one week because that's how much time Adams had.
Guitar punk sound La Sera possessed on their first efforts is upgraded with Wisenbaker's guitar solutions, which can particularly be observed in slow jams such as Take My Heart and Too Little Too Late. Still, Goodman's vocal is what leads the record. She slides from easy pop in Take My Heart to folk and garage pop. Her voice is connecting dots and making Music To Listen Music To their best release yet. I am glad If you have just discovered this album with me, because it will bring you a dose of vitamin D during the cloudy winter days.
