Brandon Schott: Golden State

Brandon Schott’s first release in a couple of years could almost put one to sleep, but not in the boring sense. With a sweet, sugary brand of pop that is dreamy and lullaby-esque, Schott nails the tender and precious “Beachwood” with a quiet confidence. Meanwhile, the title track could be mistaken for a Beach Boys cover with rich harmonies over the course of five gorgeous minutes. Early on, it’s quite apparent Schott has ample chops to deliver his tunes perfectly, especially the slow, Blue Rodeo-ish “Simple Life”, which saunters along effortlessly. But Schott keeps things close to his strengths with the timeless “Everyone Knows It But You” and the simple and reflective “Hourglass”. The only mid-tempo to up-tempo song has to be “Carousel” which brings to mind Peter, Bjorn and John. Light and breezy, Schott’s latest is one that’s hard to take off the player.