Gooblar

Despite a pretty weak recording quality, Montreal's Gooblar offers an enjoyable little sampler of good things that may be to come. Sounding a little like mid-era Beatles, with softly strummed guitar and catchy hooks, there is a delicate quality that supports the generally solid songs. The overall vibe of the disc is a kind of hat-tipping to 1966-'67 pop, with nods to the Left Banke and the Zombies. There are even times when Gooblar manages to evoke vague reminiscences of the Jam, in a much toned-down kind of way. Not to say Gooblar is at all mod - he (they? It? What the hell's a "Gooblar?") is original enough to maintain an identity that remains firmly pop and without trappings. While influences are easy to spot, there's nothing to suggest Gooblar is part of anything other than himself/themselves/itself. If that makes any sense at all.