Toronto’s Golden Dogs have overcome a fondness for cacophony and delivered as crisp and punchy a pop album as you’ll hear anytime soon. Coat of Arms is the band’s first full-length in four years. From the judicious use of reverb to individual song graphics, the mission to focus is palpable. Guitarist Dave Azzolini and keyboardist Jessica Grossia take turns on lead vocals. Some dreamy slide makes “Under Water Gold Mine” stand out. Memory (“Darkroom”) and friendship (“Lester”) are recurring themes. Top 40 precision meets Arcade Fire-like passion in what should be a breakthrough.
This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 4, 2010.
Agreed, the individual song graphics were a nice touch. You think this is going to be a breakthrough, though? “Bird Song” got ’em on car commercials, and to be quite honest, I kind of liked ’em more when they were more keyboard-driven. Still awesome live, though.