One of my most listened to albums from later in 2018 finally gets the gingerquiff review treatment.
The Gold Needles released Pearls way back in March, but like a bunch of other albums in my “must listen to” pile, events and life took over resulting in me now having a pile of “still must listen to” albums.
When I finally get around to listening, a lot of this pile has had me kicking myself that I didn’t get to them earlier as they have been a revelation and long-term fixtures on my turntable, CD player or iPod.
Gold Needles album is one of those. The album is fairly eclectic in its sounds, the jaunty Pearls opens up the album with an 80’s Cars like vibe. There is a definite 60’s – 80’s Jangle-pop influence, Not Tonight Josephine wouldn’t sound out of place on C86 or Doing it for the Kids compilations of the 198s. While a Byrdsian west coast ambiance is abundant across the album on songs like Lookout Mountain (An L.A. Song).
The album has its share of dreamy chill-out songs, like City Jungle. Perhaps the titles of Daydreamers Song or Dreamscape Time give them away, both starting off with archive tapes, the first Alice in Wonderland giggling about a grin without a cat signaling its psychedelic influences while the latter kicks off with conversations from the moon landings of 1969 before turning into a laid-back atmospheric folk-tinged epic.
As with the album’s opener, Story of My Life & Too Much time sees the band open up and let go with their US 80’s alt-rock echoes and My Summer’s Angel is pure unadulterated pop. Elsewhere the album features a couple of lively instrumental tracks, First Sunrise and Service with a Smile, the latter highlighting the various band members instruments throughout as it bounces along jauntily. With an almost falsetto vocal the mellow sound of Samantha Says creeps into your subconscious straight from the 60’s.
Just like the Housemartin’s debut, it’s a home win for Hull.
As I said, the album has been available on CD/download since March, and well worth your hard-earned cash clocking in at a mighty 18 tracks. For the vinylphiles amongst you, it is also available on gold vinyl (12 tracks, but with download code so you still get all 18). Get them from the bands bandcamp page.
If you like this album, you should also take the time to check out Jason How.