Fans of U2, AM, and other melody-driven rock bands will be pleased with Mountains and Cities, the sophomore album by New York band My Pet Dragon. Headed by Todd Michaelsen, who writes, sings, and plays many of the instruments on the recording, Mountains and Cities offers a whopping sixteen songs that run the gamut of tempos, from slow to frenetic and fast-paced.
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My Pet Dragon
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"Mountains and Cities"
(Gimme That Sound Productions)
Released August 2, 2011 |
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My Pet Dragon’s homemade debut album First Born received a good amount of attention, including having one of its singles re-mixed by DJ Karsh Kale and played on BBC radio. This gained the notice of Ministry drummer Stephen George, who has also worked with the likes of The Cars, Iggy Pop, and Common. Tucked away in a barn up in the remote Catskills, George produced Mountains and Cities for his new label Gimme That Sound Productions. It features Carlos Anthony Molina (Mercury Rev), Carl Jason Molina (Hurricane Bells) as well as the members of My Pet Dragon Rajeev Maddela, Mario Padron, Vincent Mascolo, and Michaelsen’s wife the beautiful actress Reena Shah, who sings backup vocals and performs on percussion.
Michaelsen’s voice is pleasant and can, in the right circumstances, create a chill up the spine. Similar to a toned-down Matthew Bellamy of Muse, Michaelsen’s singing is very lyrical, though at certain times mildly plaintive in a not entirely unpleasant way. It meshes well with his acoustic guitar skills, which can be mellow (such as on the track “Siren”) or upbeat and fevered (as on the track “Crystal Ball”). “Majestic Lovers,” the album’s opening track, has a pretty catchy hook, though ends up sounding 80s retro with its use of a female backup track.
Interestingly juxtaposed here are the opposing versions of the song “Flow.” Due to its feminine interjections, the original is reminiscent of Flight of the Conchords’ “Foux de Fa Fa,” the similarity to which disappears almost entirely in the Karsh Kale remix found later in the album. The inclusion of the remix is welcome and offers a rougher sound that compliments the generally smooth feel of the rest of the tracks.
p>“Lightning Inside” and “Crystal Ball” stand out as particularly strong tracks, their darker more driving moods adding to the depth of an album that might otherwise be too, for lack of a better word, uplifting. Lyrically, the album does not fall short. Michaelsen’s use of words, though at times sweet and poetic, never quite spills over into cheesy.
The amount of sound on this album is intense and rarely lets up throughout. With sixteen songs to its name, Mountains and Cities is a sizable work that can be overwhelming at first listen. However, there are many nuances that can be gathered and appreciated after repeated enjoyment. Overall, a very solid performance.
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Interesting review...
Written by Guest on 2011-08-04 13:08:04
My copy of Mountains and Cities has only 12 tracks and no Karsh Kale re-mix. I found album at:
http://mypetdragon.bandcamp.com/album/mountains-and-cities |
Great Music and Love and Rock
Written by Guest on 2011-08-12 13:38:18
 Happy to hear My Pet Dragon's new record release
at http://mypetdragon.net |
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