album #29

the golden age (american music club)

This is a pleasant album. Melodic, slow, gentle; autumnal, as they say. These qualities, the pleasantness, the relatively advanced age of the band, all remind me of The Sea and Cake, a band that I love (but know little of). Listening to this album, having reviewed Hunky Dory earlier today, made me think of the interesting ways an album's mission can differ: whether to display a brilliant versatility, or to master a consistent tone. This album, like Boxer, earns its stars for the mastery of a tone. That soft, pretty, melancholy, nostalgic tone. As another reviewer said well, it's a very "interior" work.

Most of the songs are likable but they don't leave strong impressions- good, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to them again. My favorites, the ones that I will happily hear over and over again: "All My Love" is a beautiful opener; low, sweet and sad. "Decibels and the Little Pills" especially reminds me of the Sea and Cake, because it's slightly more uptempo than a lot of the album- it's a fine, melodic, quick (but still low) jam. "All the Lost Souls Welcome You to San Francisco" is the song that made me want to hear the album. Charmingly slow and controlled, with a such a lovely, perfect chorus, and interestingly dark, reference-laden lyrics. "I Know That's Not Really You" is a different beast than so much of the album- brassier, almost carnivalesque, a very different set of instruments. It's like if Gogol Bordello was in the business of making measured, melancholy anthems. It's a beautiful song, and it's really growing on me even now. Those are my favorites. The songs that are worth more listens, because they seem pretty good or because I haven't completely settled on an opinion yet and they intrigue me a little- "Who You Are," "One Step Ahead," the delightfully cynical "The Dance," and the disillusioned tourist ballad "Windows on the World."

Charming work. Apparently this band reunited with the making of this album, and their main period ranged from the mid '80s to the mid '90s. Could be interesting to hear their best work from that era. This album didn't strike me as a masterpiece, but it's pretty good at what it does.