Earlimart Treble & Tremble CD

2nd Full Length From Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures.

Personnel: Aaron Espinoza (vocals).
Earlimart's later work has been worlds away from its early efforts, and with Treble & Tremble, songwriter Aaron Espinoza seems to find a comfortable ground for which he was always looking. Somewhere between the intriguing introspection of Elliott Smith and the lush indie pop of Grandaddy (the record was co-produced by the latter's Jim Fairchild), Earlimart continues on the same path as Everyone Down Here. Reflecting his troublesome times leading up to the album (death of a friend, breakup with girlfriend), his matured writing gives way to loss and love ("Unintentional Tape Manipulations"), held in a cradle of warm keyboard and acoustic guitar. Some moments are upbeat indie pop ("The Hidden Track" and "Sounds"), but most of this is dreamy despite its slightly gloomy textures. A few interludes, like "808 Crickets," tie it all together, and you forget that Earlimart was ever compared to the Pixies. ~ Kenyon Hopkin
The breathy vocals and wistful, introspective songwriting of Earlimart lead singer Aaron Espinoza are the focal point of TREBLE & TREMBLE, the band's fourth album. Espinoza's allegiance to the indie-folk-rock of the late Elliott Smith is readily apparent, but Earlimart fills its frontman's songs with enough lush, atmospheric pop to keep the record distinctive and engaging. Moreover, Earlimart's sound is often anchored by a steady groove (one that sometimes recalls late-period Velvet Underground), so that tunes like "Sounds" are propelled as much by a chugging rhythm as by moody melodicism.
The solid backbeats, crisp acoustic guitar, and textured keyboard lines are arranged and applied with a tasteful, orchestral feel, fleshing out Espinoza's songs perfectly. The minor-key "All They Ever Do Is Talk" and the confessional "Broke the Furniture" are straightforward singer/songwriter gems, but the Earlimart treatment transforms them into warm, mini-universes of sound. "Unintentional Tape Manipulations," with its processed drums and heavily distorted guitar, is one of the album's few ragged, edgy moments; for the most part, TREBLE & TREMBLE is a very strong collection of quietly dreamy, thoughtful indie pop.

Entertainment Weekly (p.74) - "[T]he slow epiphanies, via minor chords and breathy introspection, on Earlimart's fourth album plunge deep into Elliott Smith land."
Alternative Press (p.140) - 3 out of 5 - "Aaron Espinoza sings in a familiar nice-guy whisper that modulates every word into a wistful sigh."
Magnet (p.67) - Ranked #13 in Magnet's "The 20 Best Albums Of 2004" - "Beneath the Grandaddy-ish sandstorms and woozy sadness, Earlimart attempts to make sense of the senseless."