Ears Wide Open: Guards

Kevin Bronson on
0

Richie James Follin is a hard guy to follow. He rocketed out of Anaheim about seven years ago fronting the Willowz, who’ve made four pretty good albums and probably would be a booming concern had not the last two come out on Dim Mak Records. He made a slightly unwieldy but still worthy solo album in 2009. [See previous.] Now ensconced in New York City, Follin has now made an EP as Guards, with contributors that include Caroline Polachek of Chairlift, James Richardson of MGMT, the Willowz’ Loren Shane Humphrey and Madeline Follin of Cults. The new music is lovably shambolic (in a ’60s sort of way, as these times seem to insist), at turns saccharine and solemn, another chapter in the catalog of a talented dude who ought to be playing big rooms.

||| Stream: “Resolution of One” [audio:http://www.mediafire.com/file/vgu4agvoyc6jg2c/Guards%20-%20resolution%20of%20one.mp3]

||| Download: The whole EP from Guards’ Bandcamp page (e-mail required).

Photo by Kaylie Schiff