NEW ALBUMS
TASHAKI MIYAKI
Los Angeles dream-pop trio’s bittersweet second
Castaway METROPOLIS
7/10
With their songs’ fuzz-laden prettiness and the breathy intimacy of singer Paige Stark’s delivery, Tashaki Miyaki’s brand of mellow can feel like a sunnier, more melodic West Coast counterpart to Khruangbin’s laconic Texas cool. The traces of girl-group balladry and Byrdsian jangle throughout Castaway add a quintessentially LA quality to the trio’s second album even as standouts “Help Me” and “I Feel Fine” see them fill in the dotted line that connects The Jesus And Mary Chain back to the Paris Sisters. The addition of strings on “U” and other judiciously applied adornments to Tashaki Miyaki’s template make the ache in Stark’s voice all the sweeter.