When Shawn Fogel ditched his parent-given name as band title, and instead grasped the moniker Golden Bloom (MySpace), one may have speculated how, if at all, this change would alter Fogel’s sound. With a few band-leaked singles, it was obvious that Fogel and company had progressed, but now, a few eves before the release of Fan The Flames, we are now able to hear that our suspicions are correct.

Fogel’s music maintains much of the verbosity of his early days, merely with bounds of progression in the realm of creating bouncy, upbeat pop songs. In fact, “Dead Petals” hails from an earlier Fogel release One Day In The Desert. However, it isn’t the same version; this one was remixed by Roger Greenawalt.

It’s no surprise that “Fight At The End Of The Tunnel” and “Doomsday Devices” remain among the most noteworthy on the album; both maintain the high level of greatness of Fogel’s earlier work. But Fan The Flames has so much more to offer.

Opener “E.H.M.” for example begins the album with some fun pop that leads beautifully into “Doomsday”. And “Theme For An Adventure At Sea” blends a softer, more relaxed side of Golden Bloom rampant throughout Fan The Flames with the highly infectious pop of the highpoints for an epic climactic conclusion (both to the song and the album).

Songs like “Fan The Flames” and “If You Believe” fit the softer and relaxed sound, providing a pleasant duality of pop songs that balances out the album. The summation of these various styles leads to a greatness that far surpassed Fogel’s prior moniker and makes Fan The Flames an absolute must-hear pop album of 2009.

Fan The Flames will be released this August.

Golden Bloom: Doomsday Devices [mp3]

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[CD, 2009]

1. E.H.M.
2. Doomsday Devices
3. Fan The Flames
4. She Leaves Me Poetry
5. The Fight At The End Of The Tunnel
6. Dead Petals
7. If You Believe
8. The Mountainside Says
9. Theme For An Adventure At Sea
10. Your Minute Of Fame