Album Review: The Golden Awesome - Autumn

It's as though, in some strange way, The Golden Awesome wanted to make it easy for everyone. Which, when you think about it, is exceptionally polite and thoughtful of them. All the Wellingtonians needed to do was get together, create exceptionally wonderful music, and come up with a name that would make for easy fodder for music writers. And hey, presto! New Zealand's gone and done it again. In truth, at its basest level, Autumn is a gloriously golden, unquestionably awesome record. But wait! There's so much more to it than just that.

It's hard to imagine Autumn being a debut LP, but that's exactly what it is. Over the course of nine songs The Golden Awesome demonstrates a sonic authority that seems effortless, so totally and completely do they cast their collective net. Contemporaries of bands like Ringo Deathstarr and Young Prisms, the band undoubtedly pays homage to My Bloody Valentine with their wondrous washes of drone and fuzz, not to mention the deliciously dastardly guitars alongside some intoxicating, female-heavy vocals that land somewhere betwixt those on Loveless and those found in certain Lush songs. The end result is quite an aural opiate.

Each song is a joy to behold and offers up something special to sink your teeth into. "Ruby," for example, features a bewitching, golden hum laced with grit and some bulky, delirious droning. Perhaps title track "Autumn" will prove to be your favorite, launching immediately into towering billows of dirty scuzz and wrapped in the shimmer of gossamer vocals. The splendidly-titled "Sooner and Later" brings a pop sensibility to all the shoegaze, tilting in the direction of some of those great Yuck songs with a pert beat and bursts of guitar noisiness. Another favorite, "The Waves," strikes a lovely, elemental chord, almost tasting of sea salt and the maddening swirl of the ocean breeze with each note.

The more I've listened to Autumn, the more I've found to love amongst all that blissful racket. It's one of those records that is a constant pleasure to listen to, and is solid from start to finish. If you're in need of some instant sonic gratification, you need look no further. Go ahead, reach out and touch The Golden Awesome.  

     

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