All Aboard the Admiral Radley

In the waning years of Grandaddy's tenure as indie-rock-legacy contenders of the '00s, the general demeanour of the band was prickly on the good days, and downright self-destructive on the bad ones. In-fighting, drug and alcohol abuse -- further galvanized by conflicting attitudes regarding the future direction of the band -- all led to its ultimate combustion in early 2006, leaving fans a few months later with the flawed but acceptable swan song Just Like the Fambly Cat. With no farewell tour to follow, the band's erstwhile leader Jason Lytle packed his bags for Bozeman, MT, resurfacing three years later with an impressive solo outing Yours Truly, the Commuter. A few short tours followed, including one with label-mate Neko Case, and then quietly back to the wild he went.

But the beast stirs again. Earlier this year, some chatter was generated around Grandaddy-related message boards and indie gossip rags when a website emerged for a new project christened Admiral Radley. The site certainly displayed a certain Lytle look-and-feel (crudely drawn graphics and the man's affinity for the great outdoors). As time wore on, it was revealed this would be a new venture from old Grandaddy cohorts Earlimart (Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray), along with former Grandaddy drummer Aaron Burtch and his nibs himself, Jason Lytle. Needless to say, it was exciting news.

So for those that have ever fantasized about cross-pollinating two of California's finest Noughties vintages -- your dreams have come to fruition. Ad Rad's I Heart California is a perfect medley of the two group's sweetest assets, with Earlimart's mournful Elliott Smith-esque shufflers ("Lonesome Co.," "The Thread") sandwiched between Grandaddy's distinctive fuzzed-out synth pop ("Sunburn Kids," "Red Curbs"), and Lytle's token ethereal sad-sack ballads ("G N D N," "I Left U Cuz I Luft U"). As for the band's kooky name, it can only be explained as a lazy almost-anagram of the two merged bands, though the website provides a dubious tale of an encounter with the namesake Admiral at LA's Hammer museum.

To be sure, this new venture ostensibly screams "side project!" and is no doubt the end-result of like-minded friends wearing "Lordy, Lordy, look who's forty!" t-shirts and scheming their next career power-move. But word is bond: I Heart California might be the most creative and carefree this lot has been in ages. And if the album initially seems patched together and disjointed, closer inspection reveals its unexpected detours and dusty nuggets -- perhaps even worthy of its own future segment on California's Gold!

I Heart California is out on July 13. Admiral Radley's West Coast tour makes its Vancouver port of call on July 20 at the Media Club.