Folk Pop Beauty From Golden Suits

Hi-Res_Fred1Here’s a very beautiful and interesting folk pop themed number called “Didn’t I Warn You” from Brooklyn based Golden Suits.  The band is essentially a one man show featuring Fred Nicolaus of Department of Eagles doing most the work with a few friends helping during the recording process.  Sounds could easily be related to Nicolaus’ other band and I can see nothing wrong with that.

New debut self-titled album is due out August 20th via Yep Roc Records.

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American Princes – Other People

Rating: ★★★★☆
Long ago, in a land quite our own, we weren’t really concerned with sound oddities or atmospherics; we liked our rock n’ roll straight up. Pour it in a glass and drink it down–then again, I was really young. Nonetheless, American Princes are that band serving up a tall glass of straight-forward rock–the kind I miss the most.

I think the first notice of this is comes across immediately upon the first listening of the voice. There is a sincerity in the fact that you can identify with the vocalist and the scratchiness accompanying his vocals–see Arts and Crafts band, The Constantines for a reference point. I like sincerity–not to mention minimal production.

Now, if I were to pick a radio single, and I like to pretend that I could, I would easily put “Real Love” on my set list. The chorus alone is enough for me to purchase this album. Its got the hook one needs to keep coming back.

One song that I didn’t expect from this veteran band, “Wasted Year,” doesn’t have any of the post-punk reference points of their other songs, but in fact, its this freshness that makes this an album worthy of repeated listens. Not to mention they toss me a ballad–clearly I am a sucker for such things–in the beautifully written “Don’t Ever Promise.” I must say, I appreciate differentiation in regards to albums.

Now, this band could have stuck to their guns, maintaining varied success as a solid post-punk outfit from Arkansas, but they pushed themselves. In that act, they push their fans–like me–to ask for more from their rock music. No longer can we settle for oddities and atmospherics, for, in fact, the simplest approach is quite possibly the one we love the most.

Hear “Real Love” off Other People:

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/05-real-love.mp3]

Download: reallove.mp3