The Golden Hum � Remy Zero
An album that has been what feels like years
in the making and what seemed like an age in the waiting was finally placed in
my hands on Christmas day last year. �The Golden Hum� is Remy Zero�s
third album (the first to be released via Elektra records). I adore these
guys, no change that, in fact I idolise them and this third album certainly
doesn�t disappoint, in fact it�s safe to say all my expectations were utterly
shattered!
�The Golden Hum�
combines some of the darkness of the debut album portraying it with the delicacy
present throughout the second, with the end result being an earth shattering
concoction of the most elegant style. I grabbed my first listen in the early
hours of one wintry morning, never before had one CD made such an instant
impact. Each gorgeous transition flows effortlessly from one to another,
painting a deliciously dark yet diligently delicate picture in my minds eye,
tainting it with a kind of untold and irrepressible curiosity. Prior to this
listening I had only heard numerous tracks performed at the LA �House Of Blue�.
I thought I knew what to expect, but how wrong I was. Each song has been
individually plucked from my memory, reworked, re-mastered and placed in my
hands. To be honest I was speechless, my breath whist away and my mind filled
with a thousand new yet chaotic ideologies each jousting for supremacy.
The recent US single �Save Me�
(recently featured as the theme track to wb�s �Smallville�) certainly stands out
in terms of vocal supremacy and sheer dramatic emphasis with it�s loud, powerful
and certainly emotive lyrics, stuttering guitar riffs, driving piano chords and
persistent drum beats. The track upholds a grandeur undertone combining layers
of vocals and instrumental meandering with a delicate and uplifting lightness
represented by the eeriest of echoes. Also contained are the more pensive
moments strewn throughout. Upholding a poetic nature about its love-laden
lyrics, �Perfect memory� is soft, caressing and equally gentle. It�s the
type of track that you wish would never end, the subtlety in which it
materialises is matched only by it�s majesty.
This is a schema-changing album with a dark
semantic field being bolstered in such songs as �Over The Rails & Hollywood
High�. This is a real stand out track, filled with a deep melodic darkness
that bubbles and effervesces from each and every lyric.
One impressive feature is the great sense of
movement contained throughout, each song seems to build from the fragments of
the last into something intensely satisfying with �Bitter� being the
perfect example. What starts out as a light muddled guitar riff ends up as a
glorious vocally supreme and instrumentally grand Magnum opus of a track-
complete with handclaps!
With its well-rounded sound consisting of
multiple instrumental layers all placed neatly on top of each other, attention
has been paid to each and every instrument. From the onset the range of sounds
is diverse, ranging from the loudest most hectic combinations to the subtlest
instrumental inkling.
The album continues to build right through
to the very last song �Impossible� which draws proceedings to a close
(bar the shhh it�s a secret track) with a short sharp and poignant ending line.
And it isn�t just the music that has continued to build, throughout the emotion
has changed, the mood is gradually lifted, ending with a deep sense of optimism
and a strong feeling for what is still to come. This is conveyed perfectly in
the penultimate lyric �As we rise above our doubts and fears�. �The
Golden Hum� is a no mess album; instead it is pure, unadulterated,
passionate and deeply intense. Truly this is a must have record.
NB As of yet �The Golden Hum� is only
available via US import, even though plans have been made for a UK
mid-springtime release. The band have also announced these two London dates:
February 4th - NME Charity show, London Astoria supporting with
Travis with Starsailor and Ryan Adams.
February 5th - London
Borderline, support acts TBC.
Vic Bird
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