God, have I missed Darren Rademaker and The Tyde. Though Darren 4 seems to mix metaphors by hearkening to Scott Walker, a decade since the last (and let’s be honest, most disappointing) Tyde album Darren and his ragtag band (including his brother, Brent) have outdone all expectations. Darren 4 is a Laurel Canyon celebration — both past and present. The album may borrow from the citizens of yore who are now busy dating or criticizing Daryl Hannah, yet the modern excess the 60s helped ushered in — and the fallout of such extravagance — drips all over the wax of Darren 4. The lengthy California psychedelic pop freakouts is perpetual sunshine in even this, our darkest timeline. Look no further than the album’s cover, featuring Darren sitting alone in a parlor facing down a table of booze and excess. Yet, the album’s back cover is Darren walking slowly toward the beach, surfing board in hand. No matter the shitstorm that brought about a drinking binge in a dark room, the morning will always bring the sun and the surf. The light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel mentality makes damn sure Dareen 4 is perhaps the best Tyde album. The dark melodies surrounded by positive lyrics (and vice versa) always make sure both sides of the coin are represented. It’s often been the best of Darren’s personality coming through in the music, but finding an even keel where both points of views are represented makes Darren 4 that much meatier. Cliched as it sounds, Darren 4 was well worth the wait. It took a few decades to find its way to Darren Rademaker, etched in the hills and valleys of southern California — and at least another decade to cook inside him — but it’s here and it will not leave your record collection.
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