Golden Daze “Golden Daze”
Golden Daze was formed by Midwest musicians Ben Schwab and Jacob Loeb, totally inspired by 60’s melodic psyche-pop and contemporaries like Cass Mccombs and Brian Jonestown Massacre. Golden Daze drenches their songs in shimmering guitar reverbs and ethereal wall of sound effects.”Ghost” is like Donovan meets The Electric Prunes, with a textural drone running over the melody. Highlights includes the bright echoing “Never Coming Back” with its bouncy melody and the strong beat on “Sleeping In The Sun.” But my favorite here is “Salt” with its jangling rhythm and long guitar fade out. If you have any pet peeves about vocals being fuzzed out too much you may have issues, but otherwise this acid-dripped LP is Highly Recommended.
Cait Brennan “Debutante”
Cait Brennan spent the better part of 20 years writing power-pop and glam-rock symphonies in secret. Discovered and championed by legendary producer/musician Fernando Perdomo, the thunderous glam piano opener “Good Morning and Goodnight” mixes the classical ’60s approach with modern lyrics about today’s soulless media, bolstered by a great bass line.
“Underworld” has a Brydsian jangle that supports Cait’s soulful croon. The ballad “Dear Arthur” is like a lost Procol Harum confessional. That Brennan is a transgender person explains her deep vocal, but that is beside the point. These are great songs about love, loss, hope, identity, struggle, and ultimately survival. The trials of Brennan’s difficulties are described in “Showman” and “Father McKenzie” is another masterwork that recalls classic Elton John. No filler here either, a very highly recommended debut.
Check out a longer documentary about Cait Brennan, the remarkable journey is here.