by Gold Class
Gold Class It's You (PBS feature record)
This is a debut album to be reckoned with. Gold Class have seemingly materialised out of the ether in the last twelve months but carry themselves as a band with a long history. At first listen, the influences of post-punk heavyweights are clear and lovers of Gang of Four, Joy Division and others of that ilk will find it easy to cross the aural floor and proclaim Gold Class a new favourite band. However, there is more to this local four piece than tribute to old punk territory. Live shows illustrate an inscrutable relationship between Adam Curley’s stoic vocal delivery and guitarist Evan Purdey’s savage, all-in style. The pair offer a melodic call and response that contrasts cool baritone and sharp distortion. Beneath all this, the tough, tempered rhythm section, provided by Jon Shub (bass) and Mark Hewitt (drums), make metronomic precision seem effortless; a powerhouse that could seemingly continue ad infinitum. Lingering, imagery-laden lyrics are the cherry on top of this rock sundae. Refrains will ghost you, long after a listen and make you recollect outsider tales, lost loves and misspent afternoons. It’s You is an artful, badass debut with which Gold Class are sure to take the summer (…the nation, the world) by storm.
By Erica – Mixing Up the Medicine
Yo La Tengo Stuff Like That There (Featured on The Breakfast Spread)
Stuff Like That There is Yo La Tengo's fourteenth studio album and is certainly one of there more gentle albums. Like their 1990 album Fakebook, it is a collection of cover songs, re-recordings of their own songs and brand new tunes. It's a largely acoustic album (apart from Dave Schramm's electric guitar) which provides a subtle, atmospheric, easy listen. Although they have chosen some interesting covers such as Hank Williams' I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry and The Cure's Friday I'm In Love, which are great, I find their originals to be the highlights of the record. The re-recordings of The Ballad Of Red Buckets and Deeper Into Movies are exquisite and the new songs, Rickety and Awhileaway are just beautiful. The eclectic nature of the album does make it a little inconsistent but it's still another solid effort from this great band.
By Crispi – The Breakfast Spread
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