I like the Beach Boys because they are something of a hold-out from an era-gone-by (and were even then), yet incorporated juuuust the right mix of progressive and traditional elements to make music that is still very memorable and relevant. Their big hipster album to review on Pitchfork is
Pet Sounds, which is a very good album even if it does peak early on in the listen, which is officially my new criticism that I am leveling at Brian Wilson for that one (Brian, if you're reading this...you're like a big, immature kid but it's probably just a mental illness, so it's all good; I love you, man!). If you like
Pet Sounds, you should check out this website:
http://www.autistici.com/petsounds.htm
...which has some good stuff on it ("I Know There's an Answer" is my favorite). And also if you like The Beach Boys and their music, I would also recommend Dave Chapelle's stand-up comedies and movies (i.e.
Half Baked, T
he Nutty Professor). If you like that stuff, you will like Chapelle's Show and especially his stand-up comedy. Check it out, but this is still the Beach Boys thread so if you have any thoughts about the Beach Boys, then let 'em fly!