Aer's reggae-pop-rap is straight out of Brighton, Massachusetts, so don't expect gun talk and Crip Walking from the aptly titled album.
Bright Side is sunny, breezy, suburban stuff, influenced by rooftop smoking sessions -- probably overlooking the Boston College campus -- plus folks like
Sam Adams,
Asher Roth, and other frat rap that's feel-good-till-you-die. It's the kind of material that makes hardcore ballers crinkle their nose, but
Aer don't front, avoiding all faux gangster talk and coolly strolling through a drug-dealing number, "If You Want (Trees)," as if the cops weren't a hassle round here, and maybe they're not. The reggae bit is entirely Cali over Jamaica, suggesting
Sublime, Marley, and
Major Lazer are bigger influences than the deep catalog stuff, and with slow numbers that are sentimental, plus lyrics that are frequently nautical, there's a good chance the duo grew up stepping on pop tops thanks to some
Jimmy Buffett-loving parents. Still, these guys run to the vaporizer more than the margarita mixer so some herb friendliness goes a long way toward enjoyment, but it's rare that an album can hold appeal for your
Kenny Chesney friends, your skateboarding buddies, your Rasta pals, and your dealer from deep downtown. If your pool parties tend to get kinda cloudy, give
Bright Side a spin, right between
Legend and
40 Oz. to Freedom. ~ David Jeffries