Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Golden Boys 'Dirty Fingernails'

















The Golden Boys are; Nay Nay Arbietman (keyboard), John Wesley Coleman (guitar/vocals), Matt Hoopengarder (guitar/vocals), Pat Travis (drums), Bryan Schmitz (bass), who formed in Austin, TX in 2000. The five piece deliver ballistic rock songs played out with luminous keys, charged guitars and clattering rhythms alongside narrative heavy vocals. Through a few line-up changes, break-ups and reformations The Golden Boys continue to hit their stride, as shown on 2009's well received album on Daggerman/Alien Snatch! 'Thee Electric Wolfman'. Following up this release is 5th studio album 'Dirty Fingernails' on 12XU (Flesh Lights, Chris Brokaw) engineered by Mike Vasquez, The Golden Boys offer howling rock 'n' roll you'd expect from Reigning Sound rooted in country and blues.

Title track "Dirty Fingernails" features lush, bright keys soaring over blazing guitars, low rumbling bass and racing rhythms. A song dealing with a sweetheart, significant other or better half Coleman bellows in a raspy voice "I like my dirty fingernails, in the morning I love the way you smell," -- it's this high spirited approach that best sums up the bands' personality and sets the tone for things to come. Flipping over, the album cools off with "Sidewalk" with freely wandering guitars making way for bilingual, abstract lyrics to drift across, "I'm a wizard in the golden sand of the sidewalk". Going out with a bang "We Are Young" sees the album come full circle charging the gates with honeyed keys, crashing rhythms and a joyous guitar solo. 'Dirty Fingernails' further shows (as if you needed further convincing?) that Austin and indeed Texas is a hotbed of great bands. These eleven songs are written with a sense of humour balanced with no-nonsense rock 'n' roll by a band who sound like they have a great time doing it. Absolutely Recommended.



The Golden Boys Facebook
Released on March 20th Pre-Order copies from 12XU

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