Golden is the debut album by Austrian based Americans Slow Burn Drifters who are a duo made up of Ray Vale and Violet Booth, who enlisted the help and assistance of Jack Irons, Alain Johannes, Matt Owens and Chris Ward, the album was mixed by Martin Biegger.
Golden opens elegiacally, breezily with The Wind that has blown through your life, changing everything, he listens to the internal voices, piano and strings add emphasis to the darkness in the lyrics, slowly coming to terms with the next situation.
Forever New is glimpses of new horizons and possibilities, hopes to be realized, over woozy guitars and sparsely intimate percussion, the piano adds a sense of trepidation, in case those dreams just remain dreams.
Ivy Whispers of assignations that may have happened, had you stayed and not left to go a wandering, atmospheric backing hinting at the pain of separation.
The title track Golden slows things down even more, this has all sorts of imagery for the things that remain of the Golden days you had together, the sense of loss and longing comes through the music, slowly accented guitars, delicate flourishes of piano, a sense of reflections.
Look Away is something we need to train ourselves to do once again, in a world of constant stimulation and sensory overload, the need for peace and quiet among the never ending throng becomes more apparent, this builds a sense that shutting everything off for a while, might be the cleansing your mind needs, sepulchral sounds, distant drumming drawing you in, to take away the latest distraction, wondering how Mark Lanegan would tackle this song.
Everyone But You is a slow soulful ballad, for someone who can never accept the blame for their actions, they can't possibly own up to what they've done, evolving like a slow burning Nick Cave rumination on life and loss, this will draw you in to the timbre of the horns, magically soothing the pain away.
I Still Live There is a sparse piano led rumination of the pains of separation, with the realisation that despite everything that has happened in that benighted space you still live there.
One Decision Away from everything falling to pieces, can everything really be saved by a mute trumpet solo, or will this just lead to more bitter regret, the need to move on becoming too painful, yet so necessary, this love is balanced on the edge of a knife, can they save everything without sounding like a Walking Papers song.
Let It Ride go on have the humility to not give into bitterness and anger, push that bile back down and Let It Ride, dappled guitars rise through the rubble you've left behind, new beginnings can only come from being able to forgive and move on.
The album closes with Under The Skin taking us on a journey to your darkest place, as you hope to find the strength to carry on, you're not quite depressed enough for Tindersticks, but you're not far off, despair overwhelming you, don't let them get right Under The Skin, fight against the horns dragging tears from your eyes, letting your emotions run free.
Find out more at https://www.slowburndrifters.com/ https://slowburndrifters.bandcamp.com/album/golden https://www.facebook.com/SlowBurnDrifters
