CD REVIEW: The Golden Eagles "The Golden Eagles"

The Golden Eagles
"The Golden Eagles" (Independent, 2009)
Produced by Mark Plancke and The Golden Eagles

The Golden Eagles have landed.

A relative newcomer to the local music scene, this new power trio will be having their inaugural CD release party at The Liquor Box (2155 Wyandotte St. West) a week today, on Saturday March 28th. And it should be nothing short of a rock and roll party.

I recently received an advance copy of their CD, entitled simply The Golden Eagles, and all I can say is, I can't wait for the summer. This is a record full of great fun rock and roll with enough hooks to keep your head a rockin' while cruising down Riverside Drive. Recorded locally with Mark Plancke at The Shark Tank, The Golden Eagles have struck gold with the first surefire hit release of what promises to be a very exciting summer for local music.

First off, let me start by saying that although The Golden Eagles are relatively new to the scene, the players themselves are not. The trio is fronted by Jamie Reaume, formerly of Foreign Film Star (easily one of the local music scene's most underappreciated and overlooked bands of the past few years, especially considering how fantastic the last CD, Dim The Lights and Leave For A Better Place was), and is rounded out by Neil Tupling (ex-Lost Souls Division) on bass and Geoff Yunker on drums.

From the explosive guitar chug-a-lug of the opening track (and easily one of the standouts) "Cell Phone", The Golden Eagles is a blueprint for hook-driven power pop. Emphasis on the word power. The songs are well structured and each morsel is just enough to savor the flavour without choking on an extra verse or wallowing in unnecessarily noodling. Think if Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age got together and wrote an album with Rick Neilsen of Cheap Trick and you'll get an idea of what to expect.

"See You Coming" follows up with another hook-laden romp that expands on the first track. One of things that I really found impressive with this record is how well it flowed. This is something that every local band needs to be aware of - making a record flow. Your album should flow like a good story, even if the songs seemingly have nothing in common. It should be like riding on a boat in the Mediterranean, a pleasant ride. If an album's flow is "on", listening start to finish should be a painless experience. If it's disjointed, or songs are put in an awkward order, that Mediterranean gets mighty choppy. Luckily, the boys in The Golden Eagles have done a wonderful job of streaming their music together.

Integrated on the album are a few well placed instrumentals, such as "Bird of Prey" (which sounds ominously like a snippet from U2's "Bullet The Blue Sky"), with little "skit" pieces (a few seconds of dialogue) that make the entire album feel like it's a part of something bigger than just the songs. It almost feels like it should be a soundtrack to something.

"Go" carries forth out of "Bird of Prey" and it's another rocker, a tongue-in-cheek groove riding chug-a-lug riff (they have tons of those ones), where Reame snarls "Can you maybe show me how to dance/Pump and clap your hands/No more time for talk/Let's just fucking rock!" through what feels like a sarcastic impish grin. Another solid offering.

The album switches gears a bit with "Surfing At The Circus", a mellower tune that, of all of them, sounds most like Reaume's prior outfit, Foreign Film Star. It's a hazy head bopper that just screams to be played in a packed stadium with 25,000 people singing along to the "I know, I know, I KNOW!" refrain.

They quickly pull out of the mellow sentimental and follow it up with another rocking chugger, a dark and muddy greasy spooner called "Don't Wanna Know" that almost brings in vocal similarities to Frank Zappa singing for Alice in Chains.

"Twenty Something" brings in a bit of psychedelia into the power trio rock jams that have dominated most of the album so far, yet it fits in perfectly well, not over-used or exploited, but used with just enough grace to make the track stand out on its own and not get lost within the shuffle of all the other big rock numbers.

The dialogue excerpt "Dr. Shark's Leather Couch" is a great piece that slides into another of the track's highlights, the quirky ukulele pop ditty "The Duke". This track could just as easily be something off of a Scott Weiland solo album or an outtake from a Paul McCartney record. They couldn't have picked a better closing track for the album - after having your face rocked and roll for the past 25 minutes or so, the album seems to soundtrack its own end credits, with the three players going from being riff master jammers throughout the show to being three rag tag street musicians walking off into the sunset, having conquered yet another town from its rock and roll mediocrity and the day truly saved.

The Golden Eagles CD Release Party with special guests Vultures! and The Tree Streets, Saturday March 28th at The Liquor Box (2155 Wyandotte St. West). Tickets are $7 for just the show, or $15 for entry plus a copy of the album.

The Golden Eagles on Facebook

The Golden Eagles on YouTube

HOLY COW! A GOLDEN EAGLES CONTEST!

Yes, the kindly gents in The Golden Eagles are supplying a special Golden Eagles gift-pack to one lucky reader of this Blog. All you have to do is write a comment here saying why you want to win the Golden Eagles prize pack (along with your first and last name) and I'll pick a winner at random on Friday March 27th, with the Winner being announced right here on the Blog! (so check back then to see if you've won!).

What do you win?

"The Official Golden Eagles CD Release Party Party Pack!"

* Two (2) complimentary tickets for the March 28th CD Release show at The Liquor Box - these are the $15 tickets that also come with a copy of the CD
* One (1) Men's Large T-Shirt sporting the ultra-chic retro Golden Eagles logo
* One (1) copy of The Tree Streets' "Right To Stand", their latest CD

So who wants 'em?

NOTE: Some people have claimed they are weary of putting contact info (such as emails) on their comments - all you need is your first and last name! When I announce your name on Friday as the winner, all you need to then do is show a piece of photo ID showing you're the name given at the door to collect your prize package! Easy enough?

CAN'T COMMENT? If you don't have a Blogger.com, Google ID, or any of the initial things asked for when leaving a comment, use one of the two options given near the bottom - "Name/URL" gives you the option of giving your name and a website option (such as a band link) or "Post Anonymous" means you have to supply even less - BUT remember to leave your first and last name in your comment so we know who are winner's names will be!