More than half of the five-piece rock group Gladstone's appreciation for the Washington, D.C. group is quite evident on their single "Paper Sky," part of a new album of the same name that took home top honors at the 2009 Madison Area Music Awards. With lyrics like "Hold me against the sun and shine right through me all the colors of a life gone by," it's hard not to remember Toad, but the soaring, major-key melodies, driven by a slick, almost atmospheric guitar sound recalls Vertical Horizon and even U2. And like Bono and the crew, Gladstone have pretty much mastered the art of making a song sound like both a windy, sun-drenched landscape and the soundtrack to a movie. An MP3 of "Paper Sky" is available in the related downloads section at right. More music by Gladstone is available on their MySpace page. Catch a live version of "Paper Sky" when the band performs at the Dry Bean on Saturday, July 11, the Memorial Union Terrace on Friday, July 25, and Scatz on Wednesday, August 19. MadTracks highlights and provides MP3s of songs performed by local musicians. All tracks here are provided with permission of the artist. If you are a musician based in the Madison metro area and are interested in sharing your work as a MadTrack, please send a message.