The Old Soul — The Old Soul

It's anyone's guess as to why Universal took a chance on The Old Soul. The group's sophomore release doesn't have a single and it's far from mainstream. Instead, the band offer a fucked-up view of pop music by blending all sorts of genres — indie rock, Beach Boys surf-pop, Stars-ish horns and a touch of ELO — to create an odd cacophony of sounds better suited to Elephant Six than a major label. Take "Vegetables," the fun, euphonic song from Smile. The Old Soul almost play it straight, keeping Brian Wilson's melodies intact, but they add their own dissonant horns and keyboard flourishes to really mess this masterpiece up. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The Old Soul are an eccentric but innovative group who will keep people guessing and their fans listening.

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