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The Goldest are Atlanta band consisting of various folks who've been around the local music scene for any number of years. I've seen them a few times in concert, and have consistently enjoyed their sunny happy Indie pop music. Earlier this year, they self-released a five song EP, which contains some of their earliest recordings. Not surprisingly, the early genesis of the EP suffers slightly from the fact that, in the time from recording to now, the band has tightened up and expanded these songs. Nevertheless, The Goldest remains an nice overview of the band's sound to date.
The EP opens with Already Gone, a tinkling tune which begins with an interplay between chiming keys and effected guitars before the dueling vocals of guitarist Matt Chenoweth and keyboardist Susannah Wallace come in, and bounce off each other. From there, the song becomes more insistent over the chorus as the drumbeat picks up and the layers of instrumental effects intensify, evoking a wall of sound which is concentrated in the upper registers. Already Gone is a happy upbeat little tune that builds throughout, concluding with a wave of vocals that leaves me pleased at the very end.
From there, the band moves on to Party Bus, which takes a more rock approach to the music. It begins with a sharp guitar bounce, over which Chenoweth vocalizes in a slightly lower pitch than on Already Gone. This tune is driven less by the keyboards and more by the bass and drum, which syncopate nicely with the vocal line and guitar. This pattern gives the song a slightly funky edge, especially once the harmonies pull together during the ostensible chorus. Towards the middle, this song slows down as the funky effects turn up and the harmonies become a bit more intense as the song works its way towards a conclusion.
FMGold is a slow song which emphasizes the harmonies by adding an underlying horn section. It has a gentleness to it, which brings to mind some of the better parts of late 60s/early 70s California style pop. Yet, despite the breezy vocals, the basic music still has a rather modern Indie feel, from the strummed guitars through the keys to the afore-mentioned horn section. This is strengthened by the melodic change which occurs towards the end of the song, as the rhythm picks up and the guitars and bass begin to jangle their way out.
The fourth song on the EP, Fine is perhaps my favorite on the record. It definitely has a jangle pop type sound with the arpeggioed guitars and simple, straight forward rhythms. All of this goes to emphasize the vocal harmonies that raise up through the chorus, as each singer precisely hits their respective notes without effects marring the sound. Like every other song by The Goldest, this tune too makes a change towards the end, as the melody adds several layers of "oohs" highlighting a bridge under which drummer Kevin Wallace sings an alternate vocal riff. Still, the band comes backs together at the end with another round of the chorus as it concludes. Fine is an exceedingly precise tune whose inherent happiness carries it throughout.
The Goldest ends with We All Want More, a tune that manages to combine the slight funk and effects of Party Bus with a chorus that is more melodic and key heavy (like perhaps Already Gone). It's not a rehash of the other songs, but rather a grafting that works to show yet another aspect of the band's music. Here, again, the recording sounds good, as the precision of the instruments and the various vocal lines comes across clearly despite the range of sounds. Likewise, We All Want More acts as an upbeat conclusion to the EP, suggesting that listeners should in fact want more from the band.
For an EP done towards the beginning of The Goldest's formation, this self-titled EP shows off a band that clearly has a lot of ideas and can already see a path towards portraying them musically. Each of the songs relates to the other musically, so that you can begin to hear elements that become characteristic of their sound. Since this EP was released, the band has also added additional material to their repertoire, and one can hope that future releases come across as well as this one.
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