The Imperial Sound to Release THE NEW AM On 8/31
By: Tori Hartshorn Aug. 16, 2018
The Imperial Sound's blithe synthesis of 21st-century irony and bright, unselfconscious AM-radio pop is both brave and unique. And catchy as hell. The band's debut album, The New AMshowcases songwriter Frederick Mosher's hook-driven heritage - with influences from Todd Rundgren and Carole King to The Replacements and Elvis Costello - delivering infectious, shimmering songs that celebrate the craft and style of the best pop music. Pravda Records will release the new album on August 31st, and the band will celebrate at the Hideout September 1st with guest singers Renaldo Domino and Robert Cornelius.
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Kenn Goodman (keyboards) and Mosher (guitars and vocals) have been partners in a variety of musical ventures, from the Chicago-based Pravda Records store and label to the legendary trash-rock trio The New Duncan Imperials, for many years. Their latest incarnation, as the founders of The Imperial Sound puts them at the center of a group of seasoned musicians with years of experience and a drive for self-reinvention.
The band's debut full-length album was recorded with Mike Hagler at Kingsize Sound Labs (Wilco, Neko Case, Mekons) and mixed by John "Strawberry" Fields (Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, the Dollyrots). The twelve songs on the Imperial Sound's debut forge an immediately identifiable sound and style: songs bristling with pop hooks, taut arrangements driven by an all-star horn section, and heavenly harmonies courtesy of a who's-who in Chicago pop. Guests on the album include Peter Himmelman, Poi Dog Pondering's Dag Juhlin, singing legends Kelly Hogan and Nora O'Conner (Neko Case, Mavis Staples, the Flat Five), and Kathy Ruestow (Diplomats of Solid Sound).
"Yesterday" is a swinging pop song about the time and memory. It sounds a little like Carole King but with more drive and a brilliantly deployed horn section. "A Man Like You" is a classic Chicago soul song about non-toxic masculinity that sounds like an updated, high-powered Sam and Dave track. "Daylight" is a dreamy pop song about survival in a dark age, and it sounds like a cross between classic AM radio and the New Pornographers.
The roots of this band are long and strong. Kenn Goodman and Rick Mosher met in college before moving to Chicago. After their initial band The Service, Kenn, Rick, and drummer John Smith split off to form The New Duncan Imperials, a band as noisy and irreverent as the Service were earnest and poetic. NDI enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of the city's club scene, and were soon selling out shows throughout the country. Their recorded output - 10 releases in all -- is an avalanche of chaotic, absurdist power pop.
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