April 11, 2005

Golden Republic "Golden Republic"

This Kansas City band is pretty good; they’ve got a pretty good sound that borders between trashy glam rock and sultry, seductive rock, all sung quite well by lead singer Ben Grimes, who sounds like a Midwestern version of Thom Yorke. Sometimes, they highlight their songs with a cello, as heard on songs like “She’s So Cold” (which reminds me a bit of INXS) and “NYC.” In other places, the band has a sound that’s pretty good, if not a little bland and somewhat generic, sounding not unlike many bands coming out of New York these days. The weight of inspiration has always been somewhat of a curse for any band’s debut record, and those little blemishes don’t really detract from the fact that these guys are pretty damn good. I wish they’d slow it down a little bit, for when they do, as heard on the lovely “Things We Do,” they’re really, really pretty. The Golden Republic is young band worth watching.

--Joseph Kyle

Artist Website: http://www.thegoldenrepublic.com
Label Website: http://www.astralwerks.com

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