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Album Reviews
Album Review: Fool’s Gold – Leave No Trace (IAMSOUND)
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 9 August 2011
Every once in a while (read: almost every year, without fail), a new to new-ish band comes along with an album, usually around about summer, that never ceases to sound almost identical to the album released by the last hype-band before them. Fool’s Gold. “Like Vampire Weekend, only less irritating”, I was told. Now, don’t get me wrong, I actually like Vampire Weekend, which was why I grabbed this with equally grabby hands in the first place. If only I knew that “less irritating” meant “less fun”.
‘Leave No Trace’ is Fool’s Gold’s sophomore release. It starts off pleasantly enough – ‘The Dive’ is a fun pop song with a Surfer Blood-esque kind of feel, jumping and infused with bright, sunshiney energy. Luke Top’s voice is reminiscent of Timber Timbre’s Taylor Kirk: soulful and drawn-out, Bowie-quivering, a voice that feels the lyrics as well as voices them.
But ‘Wild Window’ and ‘Street Clothes’ sound very much the same, and I’m wondering to myself, ‘didn’t MGMT do this sort of thing… four years ago?’ Soft but angular guitars, synths, and images conjured of chilled out beach parties laden with neon bathing suits and face paint. I’m tired. I’m tired of this sound, and I’ve already lost interest three songs in.
Not a lot changes. Nothing excites – it hums along, one soulless funky pop tune after the other, always well produced and perfectly nice to listen to, but perhaps not ten times in a row. TW
