Goldspot

With a quintessentially British guitar pop sound, L.A.’s Goldspot have taken on quite a challenge for a non-UK band, but for a debut record, Tally of the Yes Men shows remarkable talent and songwriting skill. With nods perhaps to Echo & the Bunnymen and later Cure releases, this is emotionally stirring, catchy stuff. While singer Siddhartha’s early years were musically influenced exclusively by Indian music, this didn’t make its way into Goldspot’s sound in any obvious way. This is good, bright guitar pop, without a lot of unnecessary fluff. Tracks like "Cusp” or "It’s Getting Old” have a strong sense of familiarity, but the roots are hard to trace. With a tight, clean production and a few touches of electronics and other instrumentation, the album carries itself extremely well.