Shining A Light On... Caveman

Another in my occasional series looking at bands and music - this time it's Brooklyn's Caveman and their new album Otero War, released in June. Seems like it's been longer, but that's because the first single "Never Going Back" came our way back in February. They're a band I'd been looking out for, so I listened to the song first day it was released. Good Stuff! This kind of "throwback" video came out in May:

Caveman opened up for Phosphorescent two years earlier when he played his 2nd show in Burlington on the Muchacho tour, at Arts Riot. They were great! Immediately got my hands on their first release Coco Beware and their self-titled second album. Liked Coco Beware better, but both were just good indie rock - lot of promise, not a lot of polish. And not exactly what I'd heard live, either.

"Never Going Back" showed their promise fulfilled with strong songwriting, and the production was certainly more polished - vocals more up front, less murk in the mix. Great smart pop with a nice edge. When the album arrived it was nice to discover the entire project was a great step forward for the band. I give you "All My Life" from near the end of the album as further proof of their  pop mastery.

Lest you think they've sold out, they close right after that with "I Need You In My Life" which recalls their earlier indie styles... passion and pounding and murk galore! The rest of the songs fall somewhere between the smart-pop and indie-murk, with a well-crafted intensity.  It's a good listen as an album - stands up as a nice overall piece of work!