We covered Colossal Yes a while back for their record on Ba Da Bing, Charlemagne’s Big Thaw. That album had a rough, raw folk presence that began with a terrifying scream. Undoubtedly folk, the album had plenty of pop sensibilities with jangly guitars and bouncy drum beats. You get some of that here, on their split with The Good Fear. “Backbiter Blues” has a near jazz-like drum beat, pop-filled piano, and a folk vocal drawl. Emphasizing the genre blend, the band throws in a few sax and guitar solos.

The Good Fear is a good match for this split. Both bands have that unrestrained folk sound and their song “Be Like Us” mixes light folk with hefty folk-rock with an epic edge, full with time signature changes, wild heights and pushy beats that keep you on the edge of your seat. The key problem becomes this: it is damn near impossible to decide which song to call your favorite. They are, in every way and form, equals in both greatness and quality.

Above photo of Colossal Yes. This split 7″ is available now from Gold Robot Records, and I gotta say — it’s well worth it! Oh yeah, it’s on awesome gray vinyl too!

Gold Robot Records [7" Single, 2010]

1. “Backbiter Blues” by Colossal Yes
2. “Be Like Us” by The Good Fear

“The Fraudulent Singer” opens the recent Colossal Yes LP Charlemagne’s Big Thaw and it begins with a monumental scream. Folk-y piano and a pop-filled fuzzy guitar enter, all fronted by folk-pop vocals. The song is ripe with hooks: be them the catchy piano tinkering, the wild guitar riffs, or the old-time country-ish vocals.

The vocalist is known — you’d know Utrillo Kushner as the drummer for Comets On Fire — but here he sets aside the sticks for the keys and a microphone. The vocals hint of southern rock circa the 70s, but it’s obvious that this music comes from today. “The Fraudulent Singer” is edgy and modern, and it’s the perfect opening to Charlemagne’s Big Thaw.

Charlemagne’s Big Thaw is out now on Ba Da Bing Records.

Colossal Yes: The Fraudulent Singer [mp3]