A few years ago, The Phoenix, Boston's leading alt-weekly, came up with a neat annual music feature: they surveyed the US state-by-state and had their music critics pick the best “new” band from each state. The first year they did this, 2008, they also picked the best group and solo artist of all time for each state.

The 2010 list is out and The Phoenix has chosen Best Coast as California's best new band. Bethany Cosentino's girl-group-revamp project now joins Health (2008) and The Mae Shi (2009) as standardbearers for the California Sound (at least according to a bunch of Celtics fans).

(For the controversial “Best California Acts of All Time,” they picked The Beach Boys and Dr. Dre.)

This is the alt-weekly's take on Best Coast:

A thorough survey of her blog will reveal that Bethany Cosentino is passionate about the beach, weed, her cat, and the state of California. These diverse interests inform the music she records under the name Best Coast — well, those and her and best friend/bassist Bobb Bruno's snotty update on '60s girl groups and puppy love. Fresh off a world tour with doo-wop garage rockers Vivian Girls, Best Coast are about to release their first full-length and make the argument — with help from No Age, Wavves, and others — that California's financial solvency is inversely proportionate to how hard it rocks.

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