It’s review time and the city that beckons is.....Manchester. From the legendary Stone Roses to the more recently formed Delphic, it’s a place you can always seem to rely on to source that infallible, no-nonsense sound. Clearly, that belief is still well maintained.
Golden Glow is a project; the man behind it is one Pierre Hall, previously front man of The Lead Balloons, a little band that saw a lot of renown in the confines of Manchester city. He terms his new LP ‘dead lo-fi’, a popular, nascent musical choice.
In this case, the raw quality finely complements his modest indie sound. It’s that melodic 80’s brilliance that is often rendered inimitable and can go so horribly wrong when attempting to be ‘revived’, but debut album Tender Is The Night is a self-produced album that demonstrates how it is done. It is a collection of Hall’s earlier demos and EPs to date, that his trusty initial batch of listeners insisted should not be tampered with, but released as they are.
Although the album generally adheres to a steady and easy vibe, there is an enthralling eeriness surrounding several of the tracks with their cold, dour words “you don’t adore me”, “I’m not afraid to be on my own” and “you left me at a loss”. A sense of deep foreboding is created in ‘The Blizzard’ by means of the heavy, clanging guitar-work and music. ‘Streetlighter’ no doubt stands out of the crowd in its warm, romantic tone while ‘All Time’ can be compared with a number of Pete Doherty’s contemplative, less-than-sober numbers. So if it is a good bit of romance you’re looking for, ‘All Time’ and ‘The Cure’ are the ones for you.
If a drawback must be found, just slightly disappointing is the shortness of duration in each song. But all in all, Golden Glow does not appear to be reaching for the stars, so here is a record we can take for face value and enjoy for its sheer simplicity. - Rookie |
