Back in the late ’60s, and early ’70s, a phrase was coined to describe a relatively mellow, acoustically based sound that included touches of rock and country, mostly carried by singer-songwriters and bands that were mainly based in California, particularly the Los Angeles area, that got dubbed as “California sound.”
While some critics thought, as in quite a few other cases, that this will be a passing fad, that sound persisted, and now has another attribute added to it – ’70s California sound.
And yes, not only are there artists continuing that sound, it seems that currently, it is having a sort of cyclical resurgence.
So, it is no wonder then, that singer-songwriter Brandon Hoogenboom, who operates solely under his last name, not only comes from California but is yet another artist that continues this long line of the ’70s California sound on his debut album Good For Nothing (A Spiraling Blackout Montage). The key question, then, with the music on this album is not only whether Hoogenboom remains ‘true’ to such a sound, but whether his music is any good.
Listening to the nine tracks here, you definitely get the impression that Hoogenboom is not only true to the sound, but that he has augmented that sound with modern production touches and elements that at the same time bring it up-to-date, but also remain true to the original musical concept back in the California sound heyday. Basically, Hoogenboom here goes beyond just mimicking the originals, but brings along touches that make his music sound both fresh and new.
