What an amazing debut album for this
duo. There music is so interesting and beautiful that it
is kind of hard to place these guys into a specific genre.
There are elements of eighties pop music ala Big Mountain,
and then there are very modern songs that could easily find
their way onto a mix tape with MGMT or Walter Meego. All
I can say for certainty is that my faith in new music has
been restored with this release.
Let’s get right to what makes this album
so good, the songs. The opener “Detroit” is a really cool
and modern sounding track, with a catchy chorus and enough
dynamics to propel the song along at a head bobbing pace.
Then we get the current single “Plans & Reveries” which
is more of a straight ahead rocker like something the Killers
might try to do. Next we have one of my favorite songs “Breakdown;”
I can’t stop listening to it. It’s a dark song lyrically
but it really delivers with its fun kind of spook house
backing track. Skip ahead a few songs and you will find
“Silver” which maybe borrows a little too much from the
band James but still works. It’s beautiful and sparse, very
organic. Skip ahead a few more and “Run” will blow you away.
This could be a big hit; it is kind of like a U2 song if
U2 were to ever attempt a more indie sound. The album is
rounded out by “Canyon” that shows their gentle side, “After
the Flood” a nice candlelight lament, and finally “All Dead”
which is a Queen cover song that I loved.
Black Gold are great song writers and
really do a fantastic job of keeping the listener engaged.
They don’t beat you over the head with power chords or clichés;
they take chances and push their music to be better than
the rest. They stand out from all the tired bands that you
hear on the radio. The best thing I can say about this album
is that of the numerous times I’ve already listened to it
I find a new favorite song nearly every time.
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