Released - 11/17/09
Label - IAMSOUND Records
BLURB - Hmm. Went into this one with no real expectations or sense of what I was going to get. On the advice of a friend, I bought 'Fool's Gold' with the cautious description of, 'well the only band they can be kind of be compared to is Vampire Weekend, but if you like Vampire Weekend you'll probably hate Fool's Gold.' This record has the Afro-Pop feel of Vampire Weekend, but the stylings and compositions are dramatically elaborated and send your ears on a trip over seas. But she was right, I really don't think most Vampire Weekend fans will like this...the songs are longer than 2 minutes.
Rating - 9 out of 10
FULL STORY - Fool's Gold does an amazing job of experimenting with African drumming rhythms and tones. With the majority of their songs clocking in well over 4 minutes, the band doesn't just give their sound a quick chance to win over an audience. Rather they take you along feverish journey of tones and motifs, that while repetitive, help accomplish the overall goal of their music. This goal is to somehow capture the tribal melodies and percussive feel of African countries, then re-work it into something that can be considered relevant in the states, yet retain their original objective.
The first track 'Surprise Hotel' is an excellent example of how Fool's Gold goes about its' business. Instantly your hit with a melodic guitar riff that sounds like something off a uhh, hmm, Vampire Weekend record, as it wanders around a rhythmic assembly of snare hits. The riff alone goes on for well over a minute before any vocals come one. If anything scares American listeners away from Fool's Gold it will be the vocals. First, there are barely any vocals on this album and second, the vocals are all in Hebrew. But if and when you get over this, you'll be able to fully dive in to Fool's Gold. After the band throws in some collective chanting (singing) they dive into, dare I say, a jam. Adding to the drums are congas and some tribal clapping, which get the song moving on all cylinders. The drum beat speeds up, we're greeted with a pleasurable saxophone solo, and all of a sudden it feels like we're dancing at a wedding in South Africa. How did this happen?
Fool's Gold does a great job of keeping the listener's foot tapping through repetitive song construction and instrumentation without it ever seeming too monotonous. No easy feat. You can also really pick apart the music and decipher some of the influences in their music. While their music has this 'chant' quality to it, it also has a certain danceable factor in it's equation. It's not hard to hear some european trance aspects and the sound is polished enough that it must be from America. To somehow capture the music of three separate continents in one song is not only interesting, but also enjoyable.
'The World is All There Is' is another track that has a worldly vibe. Stepping away from the heavy and varied percussive beat of much of the album, this song uses background vocals and chanting as a way to keep time. It catches the listener off guard, but after a short while you'll find yourself humming along. Brightening up this vocal beat is a myriad of subtle percussion instruments that accent both the featured vocals and the chanting in the background. There's a great feeling of unity and peace on this song and for some reason I can see this being used as the theme song for the World Cup.
The fifth track 'Poseidon' introduces us to more of a Middle Eastern atmosphere. Aside from the understated guitar motifs, the pulse of the drums and the use of castanets provide an interesting flavor that will have you guessing what country you are in. The real brilliance of this song, as well as the others, comes with the pulse that is established through the drums. The beat seems to be subtly changing from quiet to thunderous, from slow to quick, without ever jarring the overall sound of the composition.
As an overall record, this is a rhythmic breakthrough. It has all the features and tendencies of dance music, without actually being dance music. If you can get through the repetitive nature of this album...and past the Hebrew...you can really appreciate Fool's Gold for the music that have created. It's both bold and daring, yet clever and ingenious. A wonderful experiment.
Tracks
1.) Surprise Hotel
2) Nadine
3.) Ha Dvash
4.) The World is All There Is
5.) Poseidon
6.) Yam Lo Moshech
7.) Night Dancing
8.) Momentary Shelter
No comments:
Post a Comment