Rating: NNN
Five bucks says I know what was on high rotation on Bodega whiz kid Andrew Rodriguez’s record player while he was writing Without A Plan: you got your Beatles, your early Neil Young… and throw in a little Floyd to get trippy with it. Bodega’s long-awaited new album offers sun-drenched, 60s-inspired soaring rock songs with down-to-earth lyrics and sing-along choruses that give Lennon and McCartney a run for their money. Although Mercury Rev’s Dave Fridmann helped out with producer duties, this ain’t no spacey dream-pop disc. It’s impeccably produced but still organic — the way good ol’, though very original, rock ‘n’ roll should be.