Labels: Magic Bullet
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Talk about hit and miss. When Richter’s Golden City hit, they are performing cracking poppy indie rock tunes of the highest calibre. Such as the opener “Gray” which soars, mumbling vocals over duelling guitars that battle each other for being the most awesome. There are plenty of other moments where Golden City launch into the stratosphere, mostly when Richter is pilfering moments from Christie Front Drive and converting them into pop classics. “Diamond Suits” races off initially but at the half way point turns into a Christie classic of shoegazing guitars and soft vocals, this is the perfect moment. The return you have been waiting for. It’s what the man does best, especially when it picks up the pace again and kicks in to the finish with the higher pitched vocals taking over. This is clearly the best song that Eric has been involved in since many a year, whilst “Cars In Space” is a slice of pop genius that hits all the right spots. And then there is “Stars”, which has a gorgeous rolling bassline and also has these chuggy bits straight off of Stereo that you will fall in love with instantly.
Ok, so we’ve covered the high points, where does this go wrong? “Ragdoll” loses it’s way into an instrumental section replete with dubious rock outs and guitar solos. Disposable. And “Cavalry” and “Big Country” show themselves up as being merely passable interpretations of the sound the band is going for. They have their moments, but get lost against the smarter, bigger, catchier hits on the a-side. “Hit The Ground” also loses with me with some shocking guitar widdling, but I am sure they are having fun. I can’t make it to the end of this one.
There are enough good songs on here to make it worth you listening, with sneaky touches and throwbacks, it’s just a shame that they can’t quite be consistent over the duration with a couple of tracks that make me slap my forehead so badly. Golden City’s music is kind of not too far removed from when Jimmy Eat World ripped off all of Christie’s stuff on Static Prevails, but filtered back through Eric Richter. Which is a strange full circle.