Monday 25 January 2010

Black Gold - Breakdown Single Review (2010)

A single review for AltSounds...

Breakdown is the third single from Black Gold’s debut album Rush. The Brooklyn pair of Eric Ronick and Than Luu excel on the album which is impressive, if inconsistent, throughout. Breakdown is far from the best song on the album but after hearing the whole of Rush it is clear that this is simply part of the band’s six song marketing campaign.

The biggest problem with Breakdown is the subject matter. Essentially lyrics about mental illness and losing control would be perfectly acceptable if they were delivered with the appropriate tone. The electronic start moves quickly into piano and soft vocals. Lead singer Ronick races through a garbled hook into a simplistic and obvious chorus. “All those things you ask in your prayers are falling away now” is probably the best line. But it’s a mid-tempo drawl that quickly gets repetitive and the song is about a minute too long. A few tracks from the album suffer from the same lack of knowing when to, and how to, stop.

Musically, Breakdown is solid but it’s a one idea single that fills out four minutes when it should be a slick three. As multi-instrumentalists Ronick and Luu blend perfectly and sound for the most part like a well-organised five piece, such is the work they put into every song. But this time, as a showcase for Rush, Breakdown is more likely to instil caution than generate interest.

-- CS (for AltSounds)

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