Long Island, New York, brothers Matt and Andrew Como’s newest offering, the six-track EP Imagination, is for the most part, bright, airy, and cheerful, modernizing old sounds with pop-inspired flair. The music is both stripped down, yet full, what with Matt’s bass lines, Andrew’s guitar, Steve Jordan’s supporting drums, and Andy Burton’s keyboard work filling every inch of auditory space without overwhelming it.
After listening to this EP, which was just released this month, I wasn’t surprised to find out that the brothers grew up performing in a Beatles tribute band. Their love of rock and roll comes through in most of the songs, as does their appreciation for blues and pop music.
The cheerful, upbeat opener, “Good Enough for Me”, is a smooth, feel good track that sounds familiar but remains interesting. The vocals sound a lot like John Mayer’s, while the chorus is extremely catchy and becomes, after only a couple of listens, quite sticky. Its message is one of hope and consistent work in order to attain one’s life goals: “I’m riding with my eyes on the distance/Never going to bind my existence/I’m gonna take a shot with what I’ve got/And that’s good enough for me”. Of particular note is the excellent guitar solo near the end of the song.
The vocals are more notice-worthy in “Tell You I’m Fine”, a funky, cheerful, bubbly, and almost anthemic pop track with just as much of a sticky factor as its predecessor. We are now in Jason Mraz territory, although the melody contrasts with the lyrics. The repetition in “Chemicals” makes it also quite catchy, the title referring to the hormones involved in making a guy go crazy over a woman. It is the most pop-sounding song to date, this time bringing to mind Maroon 5. The Como Brothers choose to stay on the cute and bubbly side of the story rather than delving into its sensual and sexy aspects.
The upbeat and optimistic “Make My Heart Move” has a certain Americana feel to it. It is very sweet, yet again taking a cute and bubbly approach to the topic of love. “Imagination” brings back the John Mayer influence. The opening piano drives the entire track but it is the guitars that give it a groovy feel. The drumming is for the most part soft and supportive with the appropriate bursts of energy, complementing the smooth vocals. The Como Brothers close off the EP with a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold as Love”, which they obviously thoroughly enjoy playing.
The Como Brothers have talent and are not trying to reinvent anything. They are just playing the kind of music that they love. This makes the EP enjoyable, something that will remind listeners of something they have heard before without boring them. More information is available on their official website and on their Facebook page.
Pictures provided by Independent Music Promotions.
First published here on Blogcritics.