Music critics throw Brian Wilson's name around a lot, but
Dios Malos truly deserves the reference. Hailing from the same Los Angeles suburb that spawned the Beach Boys, the group lifts its predecessor's summery compositional style and vocal harmonies, making for some obvious tributes. Allegedly, the band even financed its first album by auctioning bootleg copies of Brian Wilson's
Smile on eBay. The difference is that Dios Malos doesn't pen wholesome songs about love and surfing. Instead, it shows us what Wilson might have sounded like had he kept dropping acid and smoking pot. Formed in 2002 as just Dios (the band amended its name after attorneys for Ronnie James Dio alleged that fans of their client would be confused), the group has found its own psychedelic niche in the California sound without sacrificing the dreamy arrangements, the pop sensibilities or the drugs.
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