A Band You Should Listen To: Golden Claws

Band: Golden Claws
Origin: Vermont
Genre: I have no idea
Lineup: Graham Forward/guitar and vocals, Tucker Andrews/bass and vocals, Carl Irving/keys vocals, Brennan Mangan/percussion and vocals

These are all guys that I went to high school with, and while it's easy to want to like a band full of guys you know, the truth is I really "know" only Brennan, whom I would count as one of my closest friends since childhood. Brennan played drums, keys, and guitars in a band called Almost Perfict, in which I also played along with Christian Courtemanche and Andy Gordon. Brennan, at least in the school years, was the only musician we had who was worth a damn. Come to think of it, the same held true for the post-school years.

All that said, I truly enjoy Golden Claws' music, and I feel confident in saying that the band employs some of the most talented multi-discipline musicians I've ever heard.

It's hard to describe what they play, so I'll let them do it themselves:

"Golden Claws is an band from the cultural heartland of Burlington, Vermont. When all the 80's retro hipsters, 70's synth dronesters, and Noise evangelists have fallen out of fashion yet again, there will remain the likes of Golden Claws who make compelling music by utilizing whatever sounds and tools serve their vision. You can't pigeon-hole Golden Claws because they sound like themselves. They sound old and new."

Jazz? Folk? Electronica? Prog Rock? Radiohead on sedatives? Take your pick, because each is both correct and totally inaccurate at the same time. You can't, after all, pigeon-hole Golden Claws.

Check out this online sample of their work from Burlington-based Fundamental Frequency, and enjoy the hell out of it. "Broken Rolling Sun" should be playing on the radio all the time, and "Mel's Tearoom" is so catchy - but also so incredibly dreamy - that I can't get it out of my head.

Golden Claws are part of a four-band set playing this Friday at The Monkey House in my hometown, Winooski, VT, and you owe it to yourself to check them out. You'll either love 'em or hate 'em, but I doubt you'll hate 'em.