Band: My Genuine Find
Title: What We Imagined EP
Label: N/A
Release Date: 2009
Review By: Scott L
Tracklisting:
- Girl And The Umbrella
- Hello Universe
- Better Now
- I Know The Difference
- Ibeliever
This is the age of happy pop. I know that’s gonna rub my hardcore metalhead pals the wrong way, but it’s true. When Owl City can hit gold… the worm has officially turned. At least in the mainstream market. Simplicity is king. And music like a Disney movie made for the ears seems to be all the rage these days. Sunshine and soft grass. Birds soaring through stunning blue skies accented with big, billowing clouds. Cumulus, of course, the big puffy ones. Forest animals frolicing in a secluded meadow by a babbling brook. Look the fish are smiling at you. Now you don’t actually get a CD of ambient nature sounds… but what you do get is the happy impression that life is good. Good and bubbly. And let me tell you, in the dark world we often see around us and which tries to steal it’s way into our minds and hearts… happy and bubbly can be a nice diversion. That’s probably half the reason for the popularity of this type of music. But, hey, enough social commentary.
My Genuine Find is Bobby Mares. Or, rather, Bobby Mares is My Genuine Find. Either way, My Genuine Find is a solo project out of Las Cruces, New Mexico that offers up some electronic pop rock that’ll get your lips smiling and your foot tapping. If you’re into music along the lines of Show Me The Skyline, The Media Says, or Letters And Lights, then My Genuine Find is for you. Vocally, if you’re expecting the obligatory overuse of autotune, breath easy. Effects? Yes. Robotic vocal delivery? Not so much. This CD struck me like one of those old ‘What If’ comic books. You know, what if Superman had to fight Conan the Barbarian. That kinda thing. So this CD is sort of a what if The Morning Light and Mineral were somehow captured by a mad scientist, with troll doll hair and impeccable grammar… who somehow genetically fused them into one band… or at least one person. Well, that one person would look a lot like Bobby Mares. My money says that somewhere in this guy’s lineage of musical influence is some Sunny Day Real Estate.
Lyrically, My Genuine Find is pretty much sugar-coated-pop-teen-anthem-speak. That’s not to say that the songs are completely without substance, just not consistently. And that’s not knocking it in any way. Since when was Casey Kasem ever worried about a song’s thematic substance over musical hooks. There’s a touch of spirituality around the periphery, but not so much that you’d notice if you weren’t really looking for it.
The standout track on this 5-song EP was “Hello Universe” which, given the general bent of the EP, was surprisingly deep. This is just a great track that shows that this guy’s not just a kid with a big enough allowance to buy the toys he sees his musical heroes play. He knows what he’s doing and delivers the goods in a convincing way.
Overall: My Genuine Find doesn’t exactly forge ahead and break new ground for the genre, but the EP is easy on the ears and a worthwhile addition to any electro pop fans CD collection.
www.myspace.com/mygenuinefind