Boss on your case? That hussy girlfriend of yours skip town? Do yourself a favor. Put down the Ben and Jerry’s and pick up a copy of Goldspot’s And the Elephant is Dancing. I’m pretty sure this album can be used as a replacement for comfort food because each time I finish listening to singer-songwriter Siddhartha Khosla’s collection of upbeat melodies and quirky, innocent lyrics—and I’m talking “pair of 14-year-olds holding hands in the sun” innocent here—I’m left with a smile on my face and a little extra bounce in my step. This is basically identical to how my body reacts to an encounter with a pint of Cherry Garcia, so I think I may have just stumbled upon a way to brighten even the darkest day without adding on unwanted inches or racking up credit card debt (oh yeah, the album can be utilized by those of you who engage in retail therapy as a coping mechanism as well).
Whether stripped down to just a guitar and Khosla’s poppy vocals or dense with instrumentation drawing from the artist’s array of musical influences, each song on And the Elephant is Dancing exhibits a buoyancy that’s simply infectious. Co-produced by Khosla and Beach Boys engineer Jeff Peters the album follows Brian Wilson’s lead by combining the lightness of California pop with tightly layered orchestral arrangements, but Khosla’s early years spent listening to Bollywood oldies give the album an additional Eastern dimension. The sweetly innocent lyrics of “Emily” and “Miss Johnson” add to the effervescent, hopeful tone of the album, and even Khosla’s earnest plea for an answer to the question “Why is this damn life so hard?” on “One Year Anniversary” is kept light by the accompaniment of plucky guitar playing, finger snaps, and bells. Several tracks including “Call Center Girl” and the appropriately titled “Clap Clap” are worthy of much better booty shakers than I, but after listening to And the Elephant is Dancing as many times as I have this past weekend, I’m feeling too good to worry about looking bad.
For more info on Goldspot check out:
December 7, 2009 | 2:12 pm
Ah! Been waiting for the new Goldspot record. Heard some songs online and it sounds like the making of an amazing album. Going to buy it now!
December 7, 2009 | 8:49 pm
Sounds like the lead singer can’t keep a girlfriend
December 8, 2009 | 8:24 am
But they sure make great records!
January 5, 2010 | 1:46 pm
Why is it no publications have bothered reviewing this, it’s not on sale and Amazon and no-one’s reviewed it on iTunes? It’s like this album is dead to the world.
I’m tempted to buy it, shame I can’t find any of the songs to listen to beforehand though.
January 7, 2010 | 1:02 pm
Oliver-
You can preview the songs at their myspace page (www.myspace.com/goldspot). I think that the album just came out in December (but only online), so it should get a big release in 2010. I bought the album on iTunes, and cannot get enough of it. It’s in my top 10 of all time. Not kidding!
January 8, 2010 | 3:48 am
I want to say only one thing to LA Music Blog: THANK YOU 
January 12, 2010 | 3:20 pm
[...] experiencing anything less than the clear skies and sunshine we’re currently enjoying here in LA, this album is guaranteed to bring a little summertime to your [...]
February 22, 2010 | 11:09 am
[...] the occasion: Goldspot is finally playing a live show in LA! The group’s sophomore effort, And the Elephant is Dancing, was one of my favorite albums of 2009 (want proof?) and for months I’ve been eagerly awaiting a [...]
