Still Parade - Soon Enough

You don’t even have to hear a single note from Soon Enough, the second album by Still Parade, a moniker used by the Berlin composer/musician Niklas Kramer to be quite sure that we’re talking The Beach Boys musical re-appraisal. I mean, the guy named his label Feel Flows after a song from Surf’s Up, one of the best Beach Boys albums.

While many have tried to go down that musical road and re-capture that musical magic, recently there are not many names that bring quality in that respect. I mean, with Lemon Twigs that is just one of the elements, The Wondermints, and Jeffrey Foskett are practically part of the Brian Wilson Band and Sean O’Hagan and his High Llamas haven’t been heard from in a while. The same goes for the more recent ‘best Beach Boys that are not’, The Explorers Club.

What made Kramer go for the surf and turf (I mean harmony) all the way from Berlin, whether it is just the greatness of that music or the coldness of Berlin in winter, it makes no difference - on Soon Enough Still Parade hit all the right (beach) notes.

To realize his dream and make quite a dreamlike record, Kramer did go to the source itself - LA and engaged the services of Lionel Williams, one of the purveyors of the similar sound, the guy behind Vinyl Williams. What they have come up with hits all the familiar Brian Wilson notes, but tossed up in the air, picked up and then arranged in the order on which they fell down.

It is all interspersed with subtle electronics, something that characterizes Sunflower/Surf’s Up/Holland Beach Boys period, but to which Kramer is no stranger, as he has an ambient experimental project under the name N Kramer.

The result is as close in spirit and sound to the original as you can get with Kramer as the single, multi-tracked (but not over-tracked) vocalist, as he has sucked in all the LA sun, sea air (and a bit of smog), whether it is the Wilson-like instrumentals like the opening “What Happened” or the vocal tunes like the shifting “Canyon” or the brilliant closer “Portals”.
Not trying to overstay his welcome, Kramer keeps the proceedings well under 30 minutes, which at the same time keeps you longing for more. Or, you can simply press the return button, as many fans of this sound will. Still Parade deserves it.

https://soundcloud.com/stillparade/soonenough