New sound hits paydirt

Garfield Artworks

Monday, September 19th, 8pm

Garfield Artworks, $7

412-361-2262

When… Garfield Artworks

Monday, September 19th, 8pm

Garfield Artworks, $7

412-361-2262

When Goldrush — formerly based in Oxford, England — released their second album, we expected to find jangling, effect-laden, guitar-driven pop reminiscent of Coldplay and Ride. In fact, since 2002’s Don’t Bring Me Down, they have been lumped in with those two acts quite a bit. But Goldrush abandoned the Brits and dedicated the sound of the newest album, Ozona, to the down-home, gun-supporting people of Ozona, Texas.

Goldrush now sounds more like Wilco than anything out of its own neck of the woods. Any connections to a more native sound are severed, the tunes gearing themselves toward the Americana so popular among stateside indie acts.

There are only inklings of the great nation that produced many genre-defining bands. Right off the bat, the opening bars of “Wait for the Wheels,” lays into a classic distorted growl and the spacey psychedelia of “There’s a World.” The song goes toddling on an ego trip of solos for six and a half minutes. Elsewhere, it feels like we should break out the slide guitar and put on the cowboy shirts.

Is this a lack of national pride? Perhaps. But think of it as Winston Churchill would: a peaceable mingling of two countries divided by a single language. Certainly Belle and Sebastian created a name for themselves as purveyors of mellow pop filled out with orchestral instrumentation and a folksy feel. Why not add a few more lads to the liturgy?

Goldrush attempted to have the same vim and vigor as Blur or Oasis — the crassness of English attitude seems all but run out. One-time shoe-gazers finally woke up and took their Yankee pills. Even if they were to sing a rousing round of “God Save the Queen” before every show, who’s to say where “Wonderwall” and the “woohoo song” would fit in today.

Or maybe it is the people in Ozona — charming and hospitable. I was stuck in some little town in Missouri once. They tried to get me to shoot guns there as well and, indeed, it was a life-altering experience.