The Golden Seals – Increase the Sweetness

The Golden Seals feature the musical talents of critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Dave Merritt, whose songs have been recorded by the likes of Sarah Harmer and Rheostatics. Both of the Seals previous releases (Storybook Endings and No-Hitter) broke the top 20 on national campus charts. Merritt’s work has been praised by legends such as Chris Stamey (the dBs), Marshall Crenshaw, Elejandro Escovedo and apparently even Hockey Night in Canada’s Ron MacLean counts himself a fan.

Increase The Sweetness was recorded in Ottawa and mixed/mastered at Bova Sound by Philip Shaw Bova (Land of Talk, Feist, Stars, Jason Collett) and features musical contributions from Bova, Peter Von Althen, Janice Hall, Rick Fry and Mike Bonnell. Its nine songs are filled with sharp hooks, harmonies, smart lyrics and melodies that will cement the reputation of Dave Merritt as one of Canada’s finest songwriters. You’ll want to play it twice in a row.

“The silk-voiced singer spins deceptively mild songs out of complicated melody and bitingly intelligent folk-pop, using such sonic touchstones as The Beatles, early Squeeze, and Tom Waits – - at his most straight-up — to create a warm and familiar setting for his sad, sweet, and wistful stories.” – The Sun

MP3: “The Year Things Fell Apart” from Increase the Sweetness:
http://pigeonrow.com/TheGoldenSealsTheYearThingsFellApart.mp3

Hi-res photo of The Golden Seals:
http://pigeonrow.com/TheGoldenSealsHiRes.JPG