stereoactivenyc

Review: Gold Streets - Looks Like Fireflies

Gold Streets is — or should be — already known for their big sound. Time and again, the band has proven their capability at crafting layered and expansive sounds to audiences at live shows throughout the city. And if anyone thought the translation of the energy from their live shows to their first recordings may have been a case of lightning in a bottle, then, with Looks Like Fireflies, lightning has struck again.

Their debut EP, Red, put versatility front and center, weaving effortlessly back and forth from new wave-inflected rockers to laid back, psyched-out meditations. And throughout it all, was that big sound. Norm Vino’s guitar wailed and soared while T. Almy on drums and Gizella Otterson on bass laid down some of the most solid, yet fluid and spontaneous sounding, rhythms in New York — forceful and propulsive or sparse and delicate as needed.

It is no surprise, then, that they have brought those same qualities to Looks Like Fireflies, their first full-length effort.

Also returning is the two-pronged vocal attack of Almy and Vino, each switching off between lead vocals and harmony or backing vocals with ease. As before, Almy’s mellifluous, smooth voice serves in perfect contrast and compliment with Vino’s deeper resonance.

No, it is not surprising that a band would continue down a path that has obviously been working for them. It is impressive, though, when a band manages to improve on an already successful approach. This album is neither a retread nor is it simply an expanded version of the EP. What it is is a welcome continuation, building off the momentum of what came before without lingering to unnecessarily repeat what has already been accomplished. Even “Hotel Pool,” the sole track to appear on both releases (a newly recorded version here), seems completely appropriate in its inclusion, gaining added purpose through new context.

Ask the band what their biggest influence this time around might have been, and they offer an answer that might come from many a band with a first release already under their belt. “For me,” says Vino, “I’m not sure the word ‘influences’ is as applicable as much as what we learned from recording the EP and what we wanted to avoid when recording Looks Like Fireflies. Recording the EP was a huge learning experience for us -– as a band, we had been playing together for almost a year. In approaching this record, all I knew is that I wanted the album to not only rock harder and capture some of the LIVE energy that we thought the EP may have lacked, but to also serve as a snap shot of our continual growth as songwriters and performers, as well as the growing confidence we have in what we do.”

“Growing confidence” is evident throughout Looks Like Fireflies. And, again, what’s impressive is that the band has managed to improve on a past success — their EP already stood as one of the more impressive first outings of a band we have recently heard. To say Gold Streets comes across as confident on record is a little like saying the Pope comes across as Catholic at the Vatican or Dick Cheney comes across as a bastard in general.

This band is tight as hell, both in songwriting and performance.

“I feel like we’ve grown exponentially since we recorded Red,” continues Vino. “And I think that the fans that have our EP will immediately be surprised by the artistic and creative leap we’ve made on Looks Like Fireflies. I think to a certain extent, it’s impossible to avoid some of your own influences as an artist…”

And what might those influences be?

The Cure is probably the band or artist to whom Gold Streets could be said to hearken back to the most — at least in terms of music. There is a certain marrying of angular rhythms with psychedelic-influenced drones and swirls that seems similar to both. Yet, there’s certainly nothing derivative about Gold Streets. Like so many good bands, they are seemingly unafraid of letting their influences show because that aforementioned confidence makes them more than capable of making every note their own. Listen to Looks Like Fireflies and you will not be thinking of Seventeen Seconds or Pornography; no, you’ll be thinking this band should get back in the studio and record some more so you can get another fix.

In fact, looking at the way the album is structured and how the songs are sequenced, this album seems pretty much designed to leave a listener torn between two extremes. On one hand, it is a great collection of songs that leaves you totally satisfied as you listen and, clocking in at about forty-five minutes, it is longer than many albums released these days, but contains no filler whatsoever. There is an impressive flow from song to song, as well as an impressive range of tones and moods throughout. But somehow, even as it thoroughly satisfies during a listen, it eventually leaves you simply wanting more. The ninth track feels like it would surely be a closer — hell, it’s even called “End Transmission” — building in intensity and dipping dramatically back and forth between half and double time before finally climaxing. But then comes track number ten. “Underground” at first might seem to be an afterthought, a sudden drop in intensity from what came immediately before. But, quickly, it digs its hooks in through deft use of reverb and crescendos to pull you along as it builds back up… and eventually leaves you simply wishing neither the song nor the album were over yet.

Until the band is able to get back in the studio, though, that repeat button will have to do — that and a MetroCard to head out and see them live as often as possible (that is, if your own band isn’t playing every single night they’re playing, which totally sucks for you).

Gold Streets will be celebrating the release of Looks Like Fireflies tomorrow at Crash Mansion. They’re on at 10pm. Visit the band’s official website and MySpace. Here’s an mp3 from the album:

mp3: Gold Streets - “Funny Cry Happy”

We posted live video of the band playing “Funny Cry Happy” last week and we’ve got more video today. Here’s “Food For Worms,” also from the April 19th Union Pool show:

(download better quality video to watch in iTunes and on your iPod)

Oh, and the band was recently featured playing live and interviewed on Breakthru Radio. We suggest you head over and listen.