MammaBear Gives Birth to a Shiny Beast

After a series of digital releases, Atlanta band MammaBear unleash a formidable yet largely forgettable roar on their new CD <I>Say<$>. Vocalist/guitarist Kyle Gordon previously fronted KillGordon, Ski Club and Young Orchids and played guitar in Starbenders for a spell – all bands I never really warmed to, and that hot streak continues with MammaBear.

They’re all good players and can construct the basics of a rock song. Sometimes, as is the case with strutty album opener “My House” and penultimate boiler “Watch What You Say,” the results are significantly better than average. Gordon is a decent screamer and an even better guitarist. Overall, though, they come across like some local band from the ’90s that played around for a couple years, never went anywhere and nobody except their friends and ex-girlfriends remembers now. Plus, MammaBear is just a horrible name for a rock band. It sounds like they should be playing children’s songs at preschools.

If you can take the chaos that the Little Five Points Halloween Festival has become, they’re playing in Findley Plaza at 2 p.m. October 20th.