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Catorce - S/T (self distributed)
I bought this blindly, in a bustling Amoeba Records that that afternoon seemed to be full of USC sorority girls poking through the Cranberries used section. Fed up, I made my way to the interesting release rack and started reading employee recommendations. I don't even remember what the label said underneath the Catorce CD, but the CD and cover were homemade lookin', honest and true, so I picked it up for four bucks. Catorce (that's "fourteen" in Spanish, you gringo) is actually the solo project of Dave Cunningham from local LA band Sugarplastic, of whom I know very little except what he's written in the bio section of his website. His little CD is poppy and actually reminds me of a reined in 764-HERO, less epic, more down to earth. I put this in at work and then forgot it was on, but it went around and around at least three times before I realized, hey, "I'm listening to that CD I got for four bucks!" It's nicely crafted moody poppy stuff, sometimes toe-tapping, sometimes simply easy on the ears with 60s-ish harmonizing and "la la la-ing" in the background. A nice sunny afternoon CD, whether you're trapped in the office or not. Maybe when Catorce takes off a bit, we'll get to hear Catorce with more musicians, all glued together with a great studio mix. Final GRADE: A- (Sherrie Gulmahamad)