It's been about two years since the last Golden Apples album, and I'm glad the Philly outfit are back with a new one. The down-tempo indie here is creative, catchy, and buzzing with promise still. Shooting Star, their new one is just as good as their last record, in other words.
"Noonday Demon", an instant hit in the radio of my mind, whirrs around with guitars like off an old Medicine record warping behind the voice of Russell Edling. At his best here on Shooting Star, Edling blends DIY stuff with musical smarts. A number like "Freeeee" sounds like the unexpected fruit of a GBV/Teenage Fanclub collab, while "Happy" lurches around the room with the faint whiff of Sebadoh about it. And since I worked at a store called the Record and Tape Exchange, it's worth noting how much "Song for the Record Exchange" rocks. Edling, stealing a potential song title from Glenn Donaldson's hands, churns up some good riffs here.
These are relatively simple songs, but the hooks are smart ones. Golden Apples do a kind of lo-fi rock that is both catchy and modestly intricate. There are bits here that recall Nineties-era acts, but Russell Edling stamps most of his with his own style, now recognizable over the course of a few records. Shooting Star from Golden Apples and Russell Edling is a neat blend of a kind of Elephant 6-y inventiveness and a decidedly modern Bandcamp-era awareness that with a little effort, pop magic is within reach. Highly recommended.
[Photo: Luke Ivanovich]