That's Why God Made the Radio by The Beach Boys
That's Why God Made the Radio is the twenty-ninth studio album by American rock band The Beach Boys, released on June 5, 2012 on Capitol. Produced by Brian Wilson, the album was recorded to coincide with the band's 50th anniversary, and is the first to feature original material since the release of Summer in Paradise in 1992. The album is also the first to feature guitarist and backing vocalist David Marks since the release of Little Deuce Coupe in 1963. It is also the first Beach Boys album to be made since the 1998 death of lead guitarist and vocalist Carl Wilson. Preceded by the single "That's Why God Made the Radio", the album reached number 3 on the Billboard 200 and was their highest charting since 1965, placing them second all-time with longest span of top 10 albums at 49 years passing The Beatles by two years. Frank Sinatra holds the record at 52 years of top 10 albums.
The Beach Boys' harmonies and Brian Wilson's melodic sense are together again on record for the first time in 16 years. The band are no longer 'boys' by any definition, but they sound refreshingly high-spirited, with those sweet falsetto notes still capable of breaking even a cynic's heart. "Think About The Days" introduces the collection with a wordless vocal ensemble and a delicate piano. The album plays into the band's unique strengths, with sounds only modernized in the sense that they are recorded as well as 2012 allows. The title track, a catchy pop song with an intense vocal weave, retains its roots in the golden age of 1960s pop. "The Private Life of Bill and Sue" skewers reality-shows, but it's the gorgeous harmonies that guide the tune to the light. "Shelter" defies gravity and time. "Strange World" and "Pacific Coast Highway" express Brian Wilson's alienation with the world around him in the most beauteous of ways. The album is a major event for fans: A satisfyingly complete selection of tunes done as only the Beach Boys can.
