North Hills, the debut album from the L.A. band Dawes, is hardly the first record in recent years to draw comparisons to the work of Crosby, Stills and Nash. But though Dawes evokes a certain amount of nostalgia, that's not the limit of the group's appeal. Taylor Goldsmith's evocative lyrics and the band's elegant indie-folk harmonies both stand out.
Goldsmith's powerful voice fuses introspection and melancholy with a bursting optimism. Meanwhile, the band — made up of younger brother Griffin Goldsmith, Wylie Gelber and Alex Casnoff — fleshes out the intimate sound with warm backing vocals.
Copyright 2009 XPN
