Despite its awful title, and the late omission of guest Frank Ocean from the tracklist, Brian Wilson’s 11th solo album shows he still possesses some of the qualities that made him the finest song arranger of his age. Unsurprisingly, No Pier Pressure works best when, as on What Ever Happened and Tell Me Why, the Beach Boy fastens winsome 60s harmonies to damp-eyed reflections on the passing of time. His concessions to the modern world are embarrassing (witness the sterile house of Runaway Dancer) but, at 72, Wilson hasn’t forgotten how to make a simple chord change sound profound.
