Black Golden Bull – Black Golden Bull
You know, I can almost hear The Eagles in some of this. It’s described as cowboy folk on their website, and that’s pretty accurate, but there’s a definite West Coast sunset cocktail ambiance in evidence as well.
There are reverby guitars in the backgound, some ghostly harmonies, a little saw, all the usual things you’d expect from the kind of music I go for. It sits in fairly typical Toad territory in general, actually, with classic, old-fashioned storytelling, and an engaging combination of folk and Western musical leanings. I suppose that if you drew a line from the Fleet Foxes in the North to the likes of the criminally underrated Richmond Fontaine in the South, Black Golden Bull would sit somewhere vaguely inbetween.
Given I listen to most of my new music at work, I have to confess to having found this a little tricky to concentrate on at times. It’s not an album which aggressively demands your attention, more one which welcomes you with a nod when you find you have some to give. I like that kind of music, though. Music which isn’t trying too hard, which seems to trundle along happily with a confident sense of having nothing to prove, and music, I’d say, which brooks little analysis. It simply does its job, does it well, and lets everyone else get on with the business of taking life too seriously.
Black Golden Bull – Buffalo Waltz
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Black Golden Bull – One Tiny Spark
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Richmond Fontaine are criminally underrated!!!! And Willy Vlautin writes a great book too. How many people can say that!?
Nick Cave. Except for the underrated bit!
Cool. Didn’t know that. Have you read Willy Vlautin’s books? They’re as bleak as his tunes! But when I saw them at the Bongo club it was pretty sweet him doing the merch stall and selling albums and books. Plus, his last book comes with a soundtrack. nice touch.
as for this bunch. i’m enjoying the tunes and agree with your assessment completely.
I see from the myspace that this lot is from Kansas. I’m trying to think if I’ve ever heard a band from Kansas before, and I’m coming up empty.
I quite like them. Or at least, I really liked ‘Buffalo Waltz’, which for some reason I found really sad (and lovely). ‘One Tiny Spark’ seemed slightly generic though, and I might have to delete it.
Still a tiny bit drunk, sorry.
A carload of Wilco crashed into the Felice Brother’s house, killing none, injuring only the ears of one Tart who hastily forgave all involved.
you men and your John Wayne complexes,
xoxo
John Wayne compl…? Oh, never mind.
Voldermania – I get your point, it’s hardly genre-bending or anything like that. But I’ve listened to it through an awful lot now and I’m liking it despite that. It just has a nice vibe, as far as I’m concerned.
You women and your Mary Magdalen complexes.
Are you saying you like something simply because you like how it sounds?
Matthew, there’s hope for you yet..
Ay, it grows on you. It’s like Scandinavian music. I snitched ‘In My Veins’ from elsewhere, and it’s pretty snazzy (must work to avoid using ‘lovely’). Again, sad, but sad music is the best kind.
I agree wholeheartedly about sad music.
When I first heard this I thought it was amazing, then listening to it through the next few times I was kind of underwhelmed, but then I realised I was simply doing too much at the same time instead of giving my attention to the music. It needs its own space, I would say.
I thought ‘Buffalo Waltz’ was amazing, but ‘One Tiny Spark’ is in a completely different vein. (Well, not completely different, but enough so to be noticeable. It’s sort of leaning more towards ‘Little Hands of Asphalt’/cute territory, whereas ‘Waltz’ [and to a lesser extent 'In My Veins'] is a lot stronger/has more sentiment. If that even makes sense.)
Also, brackets. :S
Oh Volder, you’ve got him eating out of your hand now! go on about sad music…. he’ll do anything for ya, hehehe
I told the Contrast Podcast your CD was shit.
hahahaha! I told Tim to post my pic of FiL’s CD that he sent me whilst you were away in Italy!
Why, what in God’s name were you doing to it, you dirty strumpet?
I did nothing TO it, simply took it’s picture whilst holding it