Dios

As promising as Dios' mix of indie rock, psychedelia, and Californian pop was on their Arboles EP, the group's self-titled first full-length is even more ambitious and accomplished. Dios is a darker and more complex take on the band's unmistakably Californian sound; even the poppiest songs, like "Starting Five" – which carries within it the musical DNA of Golden State bands from the Beach Boys to Pavement – have a lingering melancholy. Much has been made of Dios' obsession with the Beach Boys, and they don't downplay it on the album. If anything, they emphasize it with the album's elaborate production, and even go as far as quoting the a cappella breakdown of Pet Sounds' "You Still Believe in Me" in the middle of "50 Cents." And like the band's idols (who also hailed from their hometown of Hawthorne, CA), Dios also make music perfect for cruising, although the band's sound suggests dusk and smog more than surf and sun; it's no mistake that the covers for both Dios and Arboles depict urban California sunsets.

Vaya con Dios burst onto the scene with their premier album, simply breathtaking. Powerful lyrics, enchanting music, and fantastic sense of song. That powerful voice by Dani Klein… She will recreate the rythm of a slowing train by singing syllables of a line, she will lay her heart with emotion coming from the song, and she will recreate any situation or scene she sings about with her intuitive knowledge of the song's atmosphere…