Golden Bear “Everest” EP
Golden Bear was a well-received band that recently played SXSW and went on a tour of the East Coast. The band has a fresh sound with fuzz guitars and catchy songs structure with “Night Lights.” This is modern power pop you can dance to and it has a free form quality with varied instrumentation and just the right amount of distortion. You never quite know where a song is going to go, and that unpredictability makes Golden Bear lots of fun. Like a funky mix of Mother Hips and Apples In Stereo, this band doesn’t neatly fall into any genre category. Golden Bear has a compelling sound and tons of potential.
MySpace | C-side Records
The Test Dream “Self Titled” EP
This Long Island band produces good sunny styled contemporary pop. Starting with “Open Wide” it’s a melodic mix that takes the best influences of The Beatles, Shins and Drake Bell. “Directing Traffic” remind me a bit of the recent Secret Sky, with it’s bouncy keyboards and light horns in the production. The group makes an effort to rock a bit more with “Someone” and it contrasts that with a Billy Joel lounge style vocal. The sugar content of the vocals and chords on “Look for The Boy” go off the charts into Andrew Gold territory. An excellent start for this band, and I hope to hear more soon.
MySpace | CD Baby