THE THIEVES OF KAILUA
The Thieves of Kailua
(Mill Pond)
**

Jason Holstrom is a man of many hats. Most notably he’s a guitarist for local party-positive dance band U.S.E, and he’s one-fourth of electronic pop band Wonderful. But he’s always juggling a number of other smaller projects at any given time, including the Thieves of Kailua, his Hawaiian-inspired solo project, whose self-titled debut is a 14-track postcard from a man who may live in Seattle but whose heart belongs to the beach.

Taking cues from his other sonically saturated projects, Holstrom’s Thieves of Kailua features many layers of instrumentation (ukulele, slide guitar, horns), vocals (mostly Holstrom’s multitracked into harmonies, but also some from his wife, Angela), and field recordings (birds, the ocean, rain, etc.).

The songs are laid-back, with melodic nods to the Beach Boys (of course), and the whole vibe is warm and loving. It’s like a honeymoon on a beach, and in fact many of the songs are sung to or about his wife.

It’s a cute record, and it’s fun to listen to while picnicking in the park on a sunny afternoon. But I can’t help but find it a little goofy when Holstrom, a fair-skinned Seattleite, exaggerates an accent to sing, “Me travel left to right/Me see a lot of sight/Me fly around the world/Me meet a lot of girl” or when he alters his voice to sound like a choir of harmonizing tropical birds on “Under Setting Sun.”

I have no doubt the record is made with sincerity, despite the few moments of possibly unintentional silliness. But if Wonderful and U.S.E are Disneyland’s Electrical Parade, the Thieves of Kailua are its Tiki Room.

The Thieves of Kailua are throwing a CD release party tonight at Chop Suey with Velella Velella and the Love Lights. 21+, doors at 9 pm, $8.

Click here for more CD reviews.