Title: Lesson 3: Arts and Crafts
Format Reviewed: MP3
Format Release: 2nd November 2013
Reviewed By: Claire Patmore
This year celebrates Green Day’s Dookie turning 20 (yes, you are that old), but it’s safe to say that punk is still alive and well. While I moved on from an embarrassing Billie Joe obsession around the time of American Idiot, I do try to keep my finger on the pulse for new releases, which is why Goldenboy’s Lesson 3: Arts and Crafts struck a chord with me.
Norway’s Goldenboy have released album number three with a truly DIY-vibe, having taken a step back from previous releases put out through Fastmusic / Coldfront Records and Squash Records (Right Kind of Wrong and Healing is a Team Effort respectively). Their newest offering brings not only the DIY attitude (done effortlessly, may I add), but is also the group's first as a trio, where they previously recorded as a four-piece.
It’s been a long while between drinks for Goldenboy, having waited seven years between Healing is a Team Effort and Lesson 3: Arts and Crafts. What the band refer to as their ‘hibernation’ has allowed the boys to grow up and perfect the catchy pop-punk melodies that cement their standing in this genre.
Lesson 3: Arts and Crafts is an album based more in rock than their previous punk releases: think the same sort of progression as when Millencolin released Home from Home. There are punchy hooks galore, such as I Know It Hurts repetitive “never coming back, never coming back,” which will forever be stuck in my head. Driving tracks pace this album perfectly, with guitar heavy track Reality Check-In a clear highlight. I am always a sucker for a perfectly selected closing track, and Goldenboy don’t disappoint, with melancholy The Gentle Approach rounding up a solid offering from the Nordic trio.
For previous fans of Goldenboy, be prepared for the natural progression that any band makes when releasing new material; keep in mind you’ve probably been listening since 1999, and we can’t all be forever young! For new listeners, don’t expect your standard short, fast, loud punk album (whatever happened to tracks like Millencolin’s Fox at 2.03, or Rhubarb’s Exerciser at 1.42?), but do be prepared to have this album on repeat. One spin is not enough to judge the depths of this record, and you will discover that Goldenboy have expertly explored pop-punk's dirty, dark recesses.
Lesson 3: Arts and Crafts is available now.
No comments:
Post a Comment