“Always remember to be kind. They’ll cut off your head to get to your mind” – The Goldenhearts
So go the opening lines of the heavily Beatles-inspired track “Star” by alternative rock band the Goldenhearts. Led by front man Roger Rocha, who you may recognize from his work as former guitarist for the cult favourite 4 Non Blondes, the Goldenhearts mix chamber pop, alternative rock, and rock n’ roll/psychedelic rock to form a concoction all their own. Both the recording/production and the song-writing sound classic. This is a band with extensive song-writing experience, as is evident from the lift off the chorus brings and the warm dynamic shifts here. Much like The Smashing Pumpkins, there is an element of sadness in the writing, but also a sense of familiarity and comfort, romance and and beauty. Roger Rocha has a unique singing voice, and it’s hard to compare him to anyone else. Influences from the Velvet Underground to Sonic Youth, Queens of the Stone Age and the Butthole Surfers come to mind. Ari Gorman is quite the multi-instrumentalist, playing bass, cello, piano, moog and backup vocal duties, and he does a wonderful job, as does drummer Chad Tasky, who gives the band a real rock n’ roll drive as only a seasoned veteran can.
The Goldenhearts’ new release “Is There Love On Mars?” is a very solid 11-track release full of well-crafted hooks and potent emotion. The meeting of the classic and the new seems effortless, and the result is an album that sounds freshly original and yet instantly essential.
You can pick up “Is There Love On Mars?” at CDBaby.
