Gold Stars

It's been some time since former Portland Mercury music editor and current Spin contributor Julianne Shepherd wrote that Brian Maselli, the man behind My Weight In Gold Stars:

"can actually sing, which, these days, seems like a yard of gold among a vast expanse of charred and molten earth."

And as fate would have it, each of Maselli's other bands--Flophouse Palace, Blue Star Creeper, and, currently, The Aught-Threes--has been similarly praised in the Portland press. Willamette Week's John Graham called Maselli's compositions:

"slow, meticulous and glowing pop" that "sweeps through the air in graceful arcs."

And The Aught-Threes have been accruing an impressive pile of raves lately, too, such as when the Portland Mercury recently called them a band that:

"feels older, acts new, sings fresh, and comes across exciting, fun, and serious," crediting the band's "shades of Nashville-style harmonies, classy lead vocals, and pace that shuffles along past Wilco, strides in step with Low, before outpacing the Jayhawks and breaking through the paper race ribbon" and singling out Maselli's "gorgeous DIY production that rolls with the big leaguers."

But a few of the songs Maselli was writing didn't feel like Aught-Threes material, so he decided to record them alone instead, taking on guitars, vocals, lap steel, and slide guitar as usual but adding harmonica, piano, keyboards, and percussion just to keep things challenging. Of course, when he got in over his head--and he did from time to time--he made sure to ask for help from a few talented friends. The result is My Weight in Gold Stars. Enjoy.