Pink Hearts Yellow Moons - Reviews
AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Pink Hearts Yellow Moons is about as perfect as pop records come — fuzzy, buoyant and ridiculously catchy, in essence it's a classic girl-group disc reimagined for the lo-fi era, brilliantly marrying its head-bobbing melodies and la-la-la harmonies with a garage-quality sonic approach which lends even the most precious moments a tuff-grrrl edge. Tammy Ealom's songs are models of simplicity, three-chord gems crafted with precision and purpose, and for all the superficial breeziness of her lyrics, tracks like "Just Like Henry, " "Lookaround" and "If You Should Try to Kiss Her" cast a keen eye on boy/girl dynamics, evoking the trials of modern romance with wit and nuance. Cute but never cutesy, sweet but never sappy, Pink Hearts Yellow Moons is utterly irresistible. — Jason Ankeny- All Music Guide
Dressy Bessy's Pink Hearts Yellow Moons is
typical Kindercore fare, and the album's catchiness is likely to make it a new
favorite among fans of the label. The Denver group's full-length debut is a
candy dish full of light, sugary pop songs that beg you to add your own la-la
background vocals. Tammy Ealom, she of the clarion vocals and the
catchy-but-never-childish lyrics, is the best reason to sing along with Bessy.
Apples In Stereo guitarist John Hill plays distorted guitar lines that update a
baroque '60s pop feel with a cuddly '90s indie rock sensibility. Each song is
short, to-the-point and commendable for being varied enough to avoid the
formulaic trappings of lesser, like-minded bands.
-Tad Hendrickson '99 - CMJ
Dressy Bessy
Pink Hearts Yellow Moons
(Kindercore)
Lead singer-rhythm guitarist Tammy Ealom – who maintains a level of sprightliness that could get annoying if it weren't genuine – radiates with the sunny charisma of a devout daydream believer. Strumming out major chords behind singsong melodies and straightforward lyrics is not alchemy, but Ealom can take lines like "Can't you see me / Lying on the sofa / Watching a little TV" and make them sound sly and exhilarating. This Denver quartet's first LP strings together 11 feverishly catchy songs in 28 minutes. Lead guitarist John Hill (also of the Apples in Stereo) picks out harmonically brilliant lead lines, and bassist Rob Green and drummer Darren Albert both play gloriously, raggedly, on-beat. (Adam Savetsky)
by Sarah Zupko
PopMatters Music Editor
Snap your fingers and tap your toes along with one of the guiltiest pop pleasures to come down the pike since last year's Mark Bacino disc. Denver's Dressy Bessy sports a joyous, AM radio, girl-pop sound crossed with new wave bounce, and given a bit of Elephant 6 sheen courtesy of Robert Schneider's (Apples in Stereo) mixing. It doesn't hurt that guitarist John Hill has earned his chops playing in the Apples in Stereo, while moonlighting in Dressy Bessy with girlfriend, and delightful pop vocalist, Tammy Ealom.
None of the lyrics of these tunes are likely to set the world on fire, but then they are certainly not of the "moon in June" variety either. Infectious melodies, fine musicianship, and the spirit of the 60s (though not in a slavish retro way) are the order of the day on this promising addition to America's pop renaissance.