Hot Track: Doom and Gloom, "Jenny"
The story of Doom and Gloom begins with the end of a band called Castledoor.Castledoor was a five-piece indie pop band with a penchant for blues and soul, an arresting frontman (formerly of Plus One fame), and arguably some of the best fashion sense in LA’s Echo Park scene. They were well-respected, well-connected and seemingly on the rise — until they announced their dissolution in February 2010. I still remember kneeling on a table at the venue formerly-known-as-Spaceland just so I could see over the packed crowd. I still have a limited edition CD of a one-off Bob Dylan cover they recorded before a show.
But this is about Doom and Gloom.
From their name alone, you might think they are either A) a band from the Scottish moors who write depressing songs about the lack of sun in their geographical locale, or B) some kind of death metal band your teenage brother might like.
Neither is true. Doom and Gloom are Brooklyn-based husband and wife duo Nate and Liska Cole, former frontman/founder and keyboardist of Castledoor (respectively). They moved to New York after the band disbanded and have been recording new tunes out of their apartment since July of last year. There’s still the old Castledoor optimism in the lyrics, and the ear for melody still stands, but it’s a noticeably new direction — and in the best way possible.
I’ve been listening a lot to “Jenny” and trying to figure out who Jenny is. The song is smooth, downtempo and downright sexy for the first 3 minutes, and the final 2 1/2 minutes are a hopeful finish.
Check it out:
[audio:/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Jenny.mp3]Doom and Gloom, “Jenny”
