Black Gold have seemingly managed the impossible: seamlessly blending the catchiness of the Beatles with the anthemic qualities of The Mooney Suzuki, the theatricality of Fear of Music and the drive of Supertramp, they have created what could be one of the most impressive debut albums of 2009.Opener Detroit begins with a thundering bassline and continues into a piece of pure pop-rock perfection. With memorable hooks, jabby guitars and a very catchy chorus, this ranks amongst the pedigree of first tracks.
Next up is Plans & Reveries: a piano-driven, string-laden sweeping ballad that illustrates the diversity and experimentalism found on this album. From full on pop choruses to the calm and still piano ending, this track is almost like a mini-album in itself.
Thirdly we have Breakdown, the Brooklyn duo’s forthcoming single; a disco-pop-rock gem. If this track doesn’t infect your airwaves this summer, I urge you to complain to your favourite radio station until they eventually play it out of desperation! Featuring MGMT-style falsetto vocals across a dance-indie backing points, you’ll find it hard to deter your feet from locating the nearest dancefloor!
What You Did is the album’s first full on rock track, and is a powerful romp through distorted guitars and thundering drums, with, at times, some very Offspring-y vocals, which leads into one of the album’s quieter moments: acoustic strum-along Silver. The album then continues on its meandering journey through various genres of pop, from the indie stylings of Shine, to the guitar-pop of Idols.
The Comedown is undoubtedly one of the best tracks on the album. A piece of pop Lennon and McCartney would have been proud of, it begins as a quiet pop tune and crescentdos to a Beatles-esque classic pop-rock anthem, with a catchy guitar line and a sing-along ending.
Run follows on, with Black Gold again flirting with the idea of being an indie band, before Canyon begins: a slow, majestic track brimming with piano and arpeggiated guitars, layered beautifully under some moving vocals.
Finally, you’d be excused for thinking the opening chords of After The Flood were introducing a Let It Be sound-a-like, but all fears are quashed once this stunning, twinkly piano ballad settles in, and it provides a perfect end to the album.
Having recently played with the likes of Panic at the Disco, Scissor Sisters and the Hold Steady, this multi-instrumentalist duo flit between genres, but always remain on the theme of the well-structured pop hit. Proving themselves to be the masters of the ‘catchy-as-swine flu’ chorus, Rush really should be one of the hottest albums of late 2009. If you’re panning for a new band to brighten your days, you could do a lot worse than to come up with Black Gold…
Rush is out on the 5th of October. The single, Breakdown, precedes it on the 28th of September.
Black Gold are also touring with Neko Case beginning in Gateshead on the 6th of September. Full tour details can be found on their MySpace page.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/blackgold
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