The Golden Rule

Thank Devendra Banhart. Since the freak-folk superstar made his mark in 2004 with the critically acclaimed, mish-mash ode to Tiny Tim and hippie harmony, Rejoicing in the Hands, the long-haired child has spawned an entire subculture of wavy-maned musicians intent on undermining mainstream pop's artistic assembly line. I'm not complaining, and neither should you.


The most interesting and perhaps unfamiliar of these offspring is Brooklyn, New York's very own Golden Animals. Not surprisingly, this duo - comprised of mop-topped guitarist Tommy Eisner and sun-kissed drummer Linda Beecroft - is the physical embodiment of the neo-psychedelic movement: all wild hair, rustically romantic garb and sepia-toned mysticism. Better than that, though, Golden Animals signifies a slight stylistic shift from the Banhart/Joanna Newsomian approach we've grown accustomed to. With eclectic instrumentation, kick-up-your-heels lyricism and jaunty harmonizing, Eisner and Beecroft seem to be crafting a personal patchwork of the New Weird American sound.

Golden Animals easily fits in with acts like Baltimore's Entrance, the lanky bluesman obsessed with Robert Johnson and the dark arts. But the band fares better when not compared to anyone at all; I prefer to simply let the music speak for itself. It articulates volumes through rural rhythms and a handful of carefully chosen, delightfully witty words.

All these alluring attributes aside, Golden Animals is still under-the-radar. The pair's self-released EP Electric Moonlight Garden has not met a record deal yet and, as such, isn't available for mass purchase. You can, however, enjoy the three marvelous tracks found below and keep an eye out for new material via the couple's Myspace. If you live in Brooklyn or any of its immediate surrounding areas, you might be lucky enough to catch one of the band's lively monthly happenings, better known as the "Butterfly Cabaret." In the coming months keep an eye out for Golden Animals's limited edition 7" vinyl collaboration with former Women and Children member Jamie Moon, as well as a debut album, which is tenatively set for a summer 2007 unveiling.

In the meantime be patient. Lest we forget, grassroots efforts are the foundation upon which the folk generation - and this blog - were built.

Big Red Rose
I'm Aboard, Take Me Home
I'll Remember You Long
+Myspace

Keep bootscootin',
Amy