Oranger - New Comes and Goes (Eenie Meenie, 2005)

Oranger
New Comes and Goes
Eenie Meenie
2005

Rating: 8 flying gardens out of 10
 
Since I live in San Francisco and Oranger are a local group, I’ve heard and seen this band multiple times over the years…they would often be featured as openers for bands I wanted to see, or they would have a track on a mix-tape from a friend, etc.  Honestly though, I’ve never found them to be particularly exciting.  So I was a little apprehensive when I got this new release “New Comes and Goes” - most likely I put on my best sarcastic voice and exclaimed “oh boy, another overrated pop band” or something along those lines.  But here’s the catch - this new album straight-up rules; from start to finish it is a power pop onslaught that never lets up, and there’s not a weak track in sight. They’ve received Cheap Trick comparisons since their inception, but this album is the first that really made me feel they had the hooks to hang in that neighborhood.  Featuring some new members (currently or once of bands such as Overwhelming Colorfast, the Posies and the Mother Hips), the fresh blood has obviously rejuvenated the group for the better of, well if not all mankind, at least for the better of me.  To use a twist on a cliché phrase, it looks like you can teach an old dog new tricks…really catchy, rockin’ tricks.