Mood Rings
Sweater Weather Forever
[Double Phantom Digital, 2011]
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Bandcamp
The opening track on Sweater Weather Forever, the debut four-song EP from Atlanta psych-pop outfit, Mood Rings, unfurls like an early ’60s, David Lynch-inspired night at the prom. It’s gauzy and surreal, but there is an wide-eyed romanticism that lends the song — aptly-titled “Year of Dreams” — a feeling of incorruptible innocence. The familiar Motown sweep of the guitars, steeped in so much echo-y reverb, only further enhances the lingering atmosphere of nostalgia and dreamy abstraction that the song imbues. It’s a solid piece of pop craftsmanship for sure, but one has to wonder if it would seem quite as remarkable if it weren’t immediately followed by the swirling shoegaze bliss of the stunning “Indian Hills,” a near-perfect cut which I’ve already spent some time praising. The year may be young, but the song’s eerie, spectral cool and hypnotic pop flirtations have it perched high atop my list of best local tracks. It’s going to take one hell of an effort to unseat it.
Most bands (let alone a group of unseasoned newcomers) would be hard-pressed to match those lofty heights, but fortunately Sweater Weather Forever coasts rather than careens back down to Earth. “Yellow Teeth” combines a looping guitar line and more vintage vocals to create a melodically pleasing, if somewhat unassuming, dream pop number. The closing “Washer” takes a far more bombastic approach, unleashing a veritable tempest of haywire dissonance that culminates in a plume of barreling white-noise. Neither track is particularly exceptional, but they each have their stand-out moments, revealing the virtues and flaws of a young band whose promise hints at considerable room for growth.
More Info:
Web: www.dirtygirlsatl.blogspot.com
Bandcamp: www.moodrings.bandcamp.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/dirtygirlsatl
Gold-Bears
“Something to Think About” + “So Natural”
b/w “Train Song” + “Yeah Tonight”
[Cloudberry Records, 2011]
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Sometimes a little impatience can be a virtue. On their second release, a four-song 7-inch courtesy of Miami-based indie pop imprint, Cloudberry Records, Atlanta twee punkers, Gold-Bears, come charging out of the gate. As soon as the needle hits the record, the guitars come flying out at you propelled by tumbling drums rolls and an infectious vocal melody that drives the song relentlessly forward. “Something to Think About” is a ramshackle affair, frenetic and almost giddy in its unabashed exuberance. The track segues seamlessly into the dreamy melodies and dense fuzz of the triumphant “So Natural,” a two-minute thirty-five second burst of blissed-out pop and boundless energy. These guys can stir up quite a racket and when they’re firing on all cylinders it’s difficult not to get caught up in the exhilarating rush.
Listening to the record’s B-side, however, it’s clear that Gold-Bears don’t want to be considered a one-dimensional band. The two songs here ease back on the gas, maintaining the same dreamy haze but taking an approach that is more meticulous and drawn-out. The textures are cleaner, the sounds more polished and direct. Vocalist Jeremy Underwood does his best to own the material, but the lack of urgency in the undercurrents below makes it feel belabored. Ultimately, what the band gains in stately reserve, they lose in dynamic punch. Gold-Bears have their full-length debut scheduled to come out in April on the Oakland, California-based Slumberland Records. It will be interesting to see what direction the band takes, but it would be nice to see them sharpen their daggers and focus a lot more on the punk side of things, and much less on the twee.
More Info:
Web: www.gold-bears.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/thegoldbears
Twitter: www.twitter.com/GOLDdashBEARS
