The Modern Golem - Something About the Future...

The Modern Golem

Something About The Future...
self-released; 2013

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

The Modern Golem is a band based out of Portland, Oregon that’s so familiar but you can't peg down whom you think they sound like a lot of the time. At times I was hearing a tinge of Isaac Brock inspired vocals, other times I felt they sounded like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and I was even thinking they sounded like The Decemberists at points. My point is that if you heard The Modern Golem on the radio you would be like “Who is that, have I heard them before?”  As a new band they haven't completely formed their own sound but at this embryonic stage they are writing songs that are catchy, fun and could fit easily into your playlist right before Grizzly Bear. Their first attempt at recording was a three-song EP called GSRS and now they’ve recently released a 5-song EP called Something About the Future.  The five-song EP was recorded, mixed and mastered by the band. I enjoyed the songs but they often suffered because of the poor production. When things get congested the mix becomes too busy and the elements often don’t fit in the mix. Luckily, I was able to overlook some of these aspects and enjoy the impressive songwriting the band was able to display.

The album starts with “Werms,” which is one of the notable songs on the album that finds the band displaying their ability to write a decent hook. The guitars and organs are almost as catchy as the vocals on this one. The song is the shortest of the bunch and ends with the band tweaking out which almost gets into jam band territory. “Undertow” has a different feel to it. While not as catchy as the first, the band feels more relaxed almost as if they are improvising as times. Another notable song is “Crooked Steps” which is a good diverse rock song that showcases some pretty versatile drum work. The album closes with “The Legend of the Ballad of Johnny Aphid” which might be the most danceable song on the album.

For being around about a year I like what I'm hearing. Something about the Future has some good songs. Now I'm just hoping that they can find themselves a way to improve the sound of their recordings on their next effort.

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