For some of us out there, The Good Graces might be the greatest fucking band in the world! For every flannel wearing, soul searching, obsessive coffee drinking fool (myself included), Kim Ware and company have created a “bomb” tribute to happy times during misery. That, and more specifically, the 1990’s. It’s getting to that time in our lives where the end of the last millennium needs to have a properly built sense of nostalgia amongst the middle aged and dying. And Bring On The Tambourines! is a beautiful album even without pop culture references from the good ole days.

“I Miss The 90’s” is the ode for anyone who remembers hacky sacks, Ethan Hawke, TGIF, and a less-than-ambitious attitude towards living outside the sarcastic realm of powerless misery. When you feel trapped, you feel safe. This seemed to be the 90’s mentality. And The Good Graces embrace this; they seem to wish it was a part of them again. God bless them for this! “Pretty New Song” sounds more like a soft core anthem from the decades before now. The guitar sounds heavier than a bag of stolen wallets and memories. Is it actually pretty? No. Is it great? Absolutely.

Following The Good Graces’ almost hateful debut album Sunset Over Saxaphaw, it’s almost hard to fathom where songwriter Kim Ware was going to go next. Well, it seems as though she felt the need to lighten up a bit. And a tambourine sure can do that. It adds a bit of zest to everything. It’s been the metaphor for marijuana. It’s a jingle-jangle good time to say the least. Bring On The Tambourines! expresses that exact sort of mentality we have been missing — the “let’s chill out and watch Nick At Nite ’til our eyes bleed” adventures we need from time to time. Without being myopic, these mysterious mood changers have created a nice ode to the happier times in our life.

The Good Graces: Working Title [mp3]

Eskimo Kiss Records [CDEP, 2009]

1. Bad Driver
2. Working Title
3. I Miss The 90s
4. Yo No Puedo Hablar Espanol
5. Pretty New Song

Your typical indie pop band features infectious vocal melodies and upbeat instrumentation, the combination of which is undeniably catchy hooks. “Working Title” by The Good Graces fits these pop sensibilities to a ‘T’ but the vocal styling gives the song a unique twist. It’s all in the pronunciation of the words; it gives “Working Title” a country-ish feel that easily sets them apart from both modern and classic indie pop artists.

The Good Graces are poised to release their new EP, Bring On The Tambourines, via Eskimo Kiss Records this fall. More info about the release (and, from the sounds of it, a few more tracks) will be available soon from The Good Graces’ EP website.

Above photo by Maigh Houlihan.

The Good Graces: Working Title [mp3]