The Spring Standards - yellow // gold

James Cleare, Heather Robb and James Smith -- The Spring Standards -- have been bringing their own boisterous brand of three part harmony, multi-instrumental chops and impressive folk/rock songcraft to some freewheeling, wild and wooly Lower East Side live shows for a few years now. New May 1 yellow // gold, the third album from the genre-hopping Brooklyn trio, is actually a 12-song double EP reflecting their special stylistic dichotomy: the more acoustic folk/pop side, mined from their beginnings on the local music club circuit (represented by the Laurel Canyon-styled mellow "yellow" side) -- and the edgier, power-popping Hollywood Whisky a Go Go electric flip of their "gold" collection. "Only Skin" is more of the former, a thoughtful mood-piece of alternating wistful and melancholic elements, Robb's somber vocals eventually branching into gorgeous entwined harmonies. "Here We Go", conversely, moves things from the quiet rural surroundings to the noise and energy of the urban landscape, a rowdy Cars-like rock riff that bumps and splinters with a swelling of Farfisa keyboards and tightly coiled aggression. Take your pick. Either way, it works.

The Spring Standards - "Only Skin" (from yellow // gold)

The Spring Standards - "Here We Go" (from yellow // gold)