Loquat

Loquat
Secrets Of The Sea
(Talking House)

Loquat's debut album, 2005's It's Yours To Keep, was a pleasant-enough slice of electro-dusted pop whose songs seemed designed primarily to showcase the enchanting voice of Kylee Swenson. The directive doesn't appear to have changed on its follow-up, though the songwriting has: At some point over the past few years, the San Francisco outfit learned how to craft tunes that go far beyond just sitting around trying not to get in the way of its pretty-sounding singer. Swenson is up for the challenge of matching the sharper soundtrack, a fact immediately proven by a glorious chorus that's belted out during the album-opening "Harder Hit," and the whole package stays strong over the course of 11 songs. Loquat's sound is predominantly made up of smoothed-out edges that are about as adult contempo as indie rock gets, but the well-executed hooks—the triumphant ending of "Go Hibernate" suggests that these guys are capable of writing household-name-making hits—never let things get droopy. Don't look now, but Secrets Of The Sea just might bridge the gap between generational record collections. As for those waterlogged secrets, the lyrics tend to suggest that something ominous is going on, but on the surface, it's a dream-pop party that keeps getting better upon closer inspection.

A.V. Club Rating: A-
- A.V. Club: By Marc Hawthorne

Its' easy to compare elements of Loquat's music to other bands. Listening to their first full-length, It's Yours to Keep, the introspection of Everything But the Girl, haunting vocals of Mandalay and trip-hop rhythms of Morcheeba all come to mind. but Loquat's sound is as delicious and unique as the exotic fruit of the same name, and, quite honestly, such comparisons just aren't enough. On It's Yours to Keep, fresh takes on the mutability of life ("Rocks"), lovers' tiffs ("Take It Back") and craziness ("Internal Crash" and "Serial Mess") are effortlessly articulated in original lyrics ("A pink tarantula ten feet tall," and such like) and jaunty electro-pop music that is at once enlivening and oh so seductive. Kylee Swenson's entrancing vocals—which would make a lecture on garbage disposal seem appealing—lace through and perfectly complement layers of synth stabs and sweeps, gentle guitar strumming and restrained drums to create musical reveries that, on occasion, are nothing short of transcendent. In a genre marred by overproduction and, sometimes, a lack of imagination, Loquat is not only wonderfully organic, but refreshingly inventive: It's Yours to Keep could just be the soundtrack to your summer. - Phil White

Bay Area's embarrassment of musical talent makes for stunning selection of CDs for 2005

While the rest of the world was stuck listening to the same old noise this year from the usual culprits like the Dave Matthews Band and Mariah Carey, we here in the Bay Area once again got to spoil our ears by indulging in tune that s were truly innovative, genre bending and perfectly thrilling. Here, the 21 best local releases from the past year. And remember, it's never too late to discover your new favorite artist.

Loquat "It's Yours to Keep"
Lots of bands mix electronic and acoustic instruments but few pull it off with the grace—or even the shimmering melodies—exhibited by this San Francisco group fronted by Kylee Swenson. - Aidin Vaziri

Trip-hop? Jazzy-torch pop? Whatever this is, it’s pretty compelling music. There are intense moments, showcasing a synergistic group playing to each other’s strengths. Kylee Swenson’s seductive vocals effortlessly float atop Earl Otsuka’s gently chiming guitar, Anthony Gordon’s bass, and Ryan Manley’s distinct keyboard and piano notes. I might not be making it sound like much, but it’s an eloquent album marked by moments of melodic greatness.
- The Big Takeover

The debut full-length from this San Francisco five-piece is a masterful work of female-fronted electronic pop that seems utterly unconcerned with trend. It’s Yours to Keep is the kind of album that makes the world around you slow down. - Under the Radar

Led by the sultry and multi-talented Kylee Swenson, Loquat imagines a warm, collegiate landscape where clever pop arrangments, melancholy girl vocals and smart produc tion play like and indie Tori Amos' freshman year at Michigan. Swenson's voice soars like Sarah McLachlan, but her lyrics cut like Cat Power. - EH

Local indie-pop five-piece Loquat's debut full-length album, "It's Yours to Keep," may just be the most beautiful thing you've ever heard. Singer Kylee Swenson's dreamy, nostalgia-steeped musings tippy-toe along teh tear-dotted line between cheery and wistful, a moody mix that the Minnesota native says was actually inspired by a trip home.

"It's funny," quips Swenson, who, along with her bandmatest, is celebrating the album's stateside release on San Francisco–based Jackpine Social Club at Cafe Du Nord on Saturday. "You know, I couldn't wait to get out [of Minnesota] when I was there, yet I couldn't help but feel nostalgic when I went back. There was definitely this struggle going on between my childhood memories and now. And I think you can hear that on the album, those bittersweet moments."

A fair portion of teh album, which was released in Europe last fall on a Spanish label, was written in the garden of Swenson's childhood home and fleshed out later with her bandmates in a San Francisco studio. But the album wasn't even in stores yet when one of the songs, "Swingset Chain," caught the attention of network execs at the WB, who featured it in an epidsode of the hit teen drama "One Tree Hill."

"That was so weird," Swenson jokes. "There I am, eating my Swedish meatballs and watching television and our song comes on. Afterward, I went, "Did that really just happen?"

But compliments are something Swenson says she's still learning to process, even thought Loquat has topped just about every Bay Area best-of list, from the SF Weekly, who dubbed them "Best Pop Group," to the East Bay Express, who called them "the poster children for this city's on-the-mend music scene."

"[The owner of the Spanish label] sent us a bunch of translated reviews [from Europe] and people were comparing us to The Cranberries and Cocteau Twins," she says. "I was flattered but I was like, 'I don't feel worthy of these reviews." - Bill Picture

Dance music is really confusing. Who can keep track of all those prefixed and sufixd sub-sub-genres? Adding to the mess is that most of Amercia's dance music magazines have abandoned "traditional" dance coverage and are now writing about bands that incorporate electronic elements (e.g. The Killers and Bloc Party). If the direction for electronic music is now towards pop and rock, then San Francisco's Loquat should command your attention. For this Bay Area act, it's all about subtlety. From their light electronic programming to Kylee Swenson's soft, airy and unforced vocals, this music floats like a feather. Although the band has often been compared to the liks of Saint Etienne, The Cranberries and The Cocteau Twins, these smart and catchy songs have a life of their own. - Justin Kleinfeld

This is the first full-length release from San Francisco-based Loquat following several locally released EPs and compilation tracks since 2002. They seem now to have fully settled into their sound, which is a pleasing amalgam of jangly guitars, gauzily pretty female vocals, polite electronic flourishes, and the occasional breakbeat. The result comes across just a bit like the Sundays, updated for the post-Massive Attack generation. Highlight tracks on It's Yours to Keep include the gently encouraging "Slow, Fast, Wait & See," the dry but rewarding "Rocks" (which actually sounds a bit like a tribute to Over the Rhine), and the nicely crafted "Need Air," on which a soft bed of guitar arpeggios and gently swooping vocals is suddenly muscled up with a funky beat that kicks in about halfway through. Sometimes Loquat meanders a bit more than is advisable, and there are tracks that miss being spectacular for want of a really good hook, but overall this is an impressive effort from a band that will definitely bear watching in the future.
- allmusic.com

Loquat's fourth release, It's Yours to Keep, successfully blends electronic and organic music to create something accessible and fun.

Kylee Swenson's lyrical observations never take a back seat on these tunes with lyrics like, "It looks as though you are cursed/ As for being difficult, I'm the worst/ But at times you'll fine I'll make it easy on you/ I know what a jerk I am and what a pain in the ass you are/ But I don't want to drive you off a cliff/ So before we get to that/ I gotta say, 'Sorry I take it back."

Keyboardist Ryan Manley provides pleasing textures to accompany Swenson's sweet, majstic vocals, while guitarist Earl Otsuka keeps it grounded in pop-rock idoms with his nimble picking and crunchy chords. Elecronic drumbeats and washy synthesizers are augmented by solid electric guitar, which punchy bass lines and traditional pop-rock drumming creating trancelike cohesion.

"Take It Back" opens the album witha synthesized bass line that bounced the songs forward with a funky allure. The chorus to "Slow, Fast, Wait and See," despite being a slow song, is one of Loquat's catchiest, as its melodies swirl sweetly around Swenson's voice. "Change the Station," sans lush adornments, allows glimpses into drummer Christopher Lautz's steady and tasteful patterns and bassist Anthony Gordon's understated but flexible delivery.

It's Yours to Kep is a carefully pasted together creation, an audio collage taht is not to be missed. - Bill Copeland