Golden Bloom Covers Wussy’s “Magic Words”

Choosing a song to cover is an art. Golden Bloom’s Shawn Fogel is quite adept at it, as shown by his choice of Wussy’s “Magic Words,” a track from the Cincinnati quartet’s celebrated self-titled album. “Magic Words,” a mid-tempo rocker, and his favorite, is transformed lovingly by Fogel into a poppier version of itself. Still present are the droning guitars, but added are the shiny synth touches that are a Golden Bloom trademark. All of this adds up to a unique approach to Wussy’s well-crafted phrases and lyrics. “I heard a lot of possibilities in my head, different directions I could take the song, says Fogel. “I ended up trying to inject a little more power into the pop and had a lot of fun reinterpreting this song in the studio.”  Fogel is not alone in the desire to reimagine Wussy. This Will Not End Well, a remix album that was digitally released in September, is filled with tracks from Wussy, but does not include “Magic Words”.

Shawn Fogel is no stranger to the art of the cover. This past summer and at CMJ 2010, he and members of Golden Bloom and The Motion Sick embarked on the ambitious task of playing Neutral Uke Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over The Sea live on ukulele, melodica and trumpet as Neutral Uke Hotel. The shows were well received, filling venues with fans singing, clapping and stomping along to the beloved album.

Fogel is back in the studio with Peter Katis (Frightened Rabbit, The National, Interpol and Tokyo Police Club), to produce some tracks on the follow up to Fan the Flames, which was compared favorably to Summerteeth-era Wilco, The New Pornographers, and Big Star and loved by critics and fans alike. 
Download the “Magic Words” MP3! Click Here to Read More..

Golden Bloom Returns to Studio with Producer Peter Katis

Wooooooooooooooooo! We are shouting at GLG! Golden Bloom (OK, well, Shawn Fogel) is finally working on another album, which will not doubt be stellar. We seriously can not wait for his next work of pop genius.

Fogel has begun recording new Golden Bloom material, once again with producer Peter Katis! If you haven't heard, Katis is an uber producer who has worked wonders on records for The National (their last five records), Frightened Rabbit, The Swell Season, Interpol and Tokyo Police Club, to name just a few. The magic began this month when Fogel returned to Tarquin Studios with the prolific pop-maker Peter Katis. Golden Bloom's last full-length, Fan the Flames, which was compared favorably to Summerteeth-era Wilco, The New Pornographers, and Big Star and loved by critics and fans alike was recorded by Katis

So what can we expect from Fogel this time? Power pop? Rest assured. Intelligent lyrics? Certainly. The best music Golden Bloom has ever made? Absolutely. Fogel says, “[The experience] is similar to Fan the Flames in that I'm trying to make the best music I can in the moment, but I'd like to think whenever you work on something new you're in some way trying to out-do your previous work. I think the songs are really strong and more mature than the last batch of songs that comprised Fan the Flames.”

Wait, it's going to be even better than Fan the Flames? That's serious. Someone is going to need to fan us.



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Fan-Tan worship from The Devil Has The Best Tuna

"Despite their "east meets west" back story their obvious affinity for British post-punk and new wave of the 80s and their American location prompt comparisons to The Killers, or at least the first incarnation of the Killers before they went all mustachioed Bruce Springsteen on us. Their newest EP, The Age of Discovery (set for release in April) is so good that the Killers will be flattered to be compared to Fan-Tan!

It's time for some Fan-Tan worship." The Devil Has the Best Tuna wants you to hear Fan-Tan tracks "On Your Wall" and "Damage," both available right here on their blog.
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Golden Bloom's Shawn Fogel Covers Up with Weird Al

It’s nice to know that someone still likes to play a good old prank and crack a joke for April Fool’s Day. On Saturday, April 3, Shawn Fogel will take the stage at the Lizard Lounge as part of the April Fool’s version of The Cover-Up live music series. Hosted by Brendan Boogie and co-organized by Andrea Kremer, the Cover-Up is a live music series based in Boston, where stars of the Boston music scene pay tribute to favorites from the past.

Shawn Fogel, leader of Golden Bloom will dust off some of Weird Al’s “hair raising” greatest mock pop hits and play them in his own divine manner. No stranger to playing a power pop hit, Shawn Fogel played the SXSW Beatles on Ukulele party last week. The power-pop sensibility and bright energetic melodies earned Golden Bloom a 9 out of 10 from BLURT Magazine for Fan the Flames, released August 18th, 2009. Spin Magazine said of the first single off the upcoming full-length, “’Doomsday Devices’ feels like a great b-side from the [Wilco] Summer Teeth era.” Selecting an unorthodox approach, Fogel worked with producers Peter Katis (The National, Interpol, Mates of State), Roger Greenawalt (Ben Kweller), and Dylan Magierek (Mark Kozelek) on the latest album.

The full line-up includes:
Sidewalk Driver as Spinal Tap
Oranjuly as The Monkees
Golden Bloom's Shawn Fogel as "Weird Al" Yankovic
Nate Leavitt & Brendan Boogie as Tenacious D

In addition to the music, will be live comedy by Tim McIntire, Lamont Price, and Ken Reid. Click Here to Read More..