Home > Music > CD Review > Golden Animals, 'Free Your Mind and Win a Pony'

Golden Animals, 'Free Your Mind and Win a Pony'

Retro-rock duo releases a postmodern upgrade

By Scott Thill

Special to Metromix
June 30, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Backstory: Looking like they stepped right off the bus with the Mamas and the Papas, Tommy Eisner and Linda Beecroft seem to belong back in the '60s, when blues, folk and rock first merged with the sexual revolution to form a drugged-out hybrid. But they're not from another time: they're from the California desert, by way of 21st century Brooklyn.

Why you should care: It may sound like yesterday, but it feels like tomorrow. Golden Animals' debut has a knack for hopscotching decades without offending either side of the temporal divide. From the crashing cymbals and pained croons of "My My My" to the sliding steel guitar of "Alice," they've got a knack for making you feel right at home, no matter what era you’re from.

Verdict: As an experimental mash of yesteryear's sonic signatures and today's technological upgrades, Golden Animals' smoky effort is a timeless pleasure. Deep-fried stomps like "Queen Mary (The Flop)" could have easily come off of Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock," except when the near-metal riffage pops in for a nice surprise. The country lean of "Ride Easy" feels like Johnny Cash jumped out a window and landed on Pavement. The blue bounce of "Steady Roller" could have crept out of Nick Cave or Alejandro Escovedo's underwear drawer, if it wasn't hiding out with the Soledad Brothers. There's a lot going on here, is what we’re saying, but a degree in pop music history isn't necessary if you just want to lie back and let Golden Animals retrofitted Americana roll over you like a runaway train. Hop the boxcar, bums!

X-Factor: Golden Animals aren’t completely retro: they covered Madonna's "Beautiful Stranger" for the indie homage compilation "Through the Wilderness: A Tribute to Madonna."

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