NYC shoegaze pop group My Pet Dragon have grown into a five piece live band. The core of songwriter and muti-instrumentalist Todd Michaelsen and his wife/drummer/backing vocalist Reehnah Shah is still very much at large. The bulk of the material on the new album Mountains and Cities was recorded with Mario Padron on bass, Rrajeev Maddela on drums and Vincent Mascolo on guitar.
Todd Michaelsen's tenor voice is the band's unique selling point. With a phrasing that harkens back to the New Romantics movement in the UK combined with Big Apple swagger he leads the musicians through his songs. The percussion is less prominent than on their previous releases, giving more room to the guitar an adding color by bringing in a wider range of instruments. Gov't Mule's Danny Louis played Melltotron on U R and Justin Smith violin on Siren.
My Pet Dragon are still growing, although they seem to have discarded the Indian influences that loomed large in the past. They sound more commercial now, but are still swimming next to the mainstream.
Mountains and Cities is released on Gimme That Sound Productions. Buy it from the band's website.
Tracks:- Majestic Lovers
- Moonshine
- Love Anthem
- Siren
- U R
- Darling
- Crystal Ball
- Lover In Hiding
- Flow
- Lightning Inside
- Songbird
- Mountains and Cities
- 09/08 Hoboken Pier Session - Acoustic Set, The Piers, Hoboken, NJ
- 09/15 Half Moon Boat @ Skyport Marina, New York, NY
- 09/17 The Electric Company, Utica, NY
- 09/23 Forum, Granville, NY
- 10/22 CMJ Showcase @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
HCTF review of Flow.
