After a bunch of records that established
Cool Ghouls as one of the better garage rock bands around in the 2010s, the San Francisco quartet launch themselves in about 12 different directions on their third album,
At George's Zoo. Boosting the vocals and adding some depth to the arrangements including horns, keyboards, and even strings, this is the group's cleanest and most adventurous album by far. They were never just a garage rock band -- adding some country-rock here and psychedelic folk there -- and now they sound like a jukebox where each song is a prime example of a style of music born in the mid- to late '60s. They tackle baroque pop, acoustic folk, piano ballads, surf psych, and sunshine pop, while still finding a couple slots for some jangling garage rock too. Album opener "It's Over" starts things off with a declaration of just how different this record is going to be with some seriously autumnal vocal harmonies leading into a tune that's equal parts dark psych, Vegas showband, and over-the-top folk-rock. From there, the album is positioned to go just about anywhere, and it pretty much does. "Land Song" is a sweeping ballad with swirling strings sung by guitarist Pat McDonald as if he were
David Crosby fronting
the Left Banke, "The Way I Made You Cry" is a
Todd Rundgren-style heartbreaker, "I Was Wrong" is a vocal-harmony treat that feels lifted from side two of an
Association album, and "Look in Your Mirror" bounces like a late-'60s
Beach Boys mini-epic. Everything the band touches turns to gold here;
At George's Zoo is an impressive display of musical skill, and every stylistic gamble they take pays off. Before this record,
Cool Ghouls came across like a group of guys having a good old time playing some good ole tunes; now they feel like a band capable of making something lasting. This is a fine first step in that direction. ~ Tim Sendra