Champs : Down Like Gold
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12.05.2014

Champs : Down Like Gold

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Peter and Michael Champion master the art of charmed romanticism on their impressive debut album Down Like Gold. The Isle of Wight brothers steal from REMs Country Feedback for 8MM Desires forlorn lyric, Its crazy what you could have hadand this album has a similar mood to Out of Time, taking the pain of failed romance and turning it into a whole load of pretty.

 

Wallowing melancholia is balanced out with fist-pumping euphoria on instantly impacting singles Savannah and My Spirit Is Broken. Theyre close in spirit to chart-busting Brit bands such as Keane and Idlewild, but the Champs manage to avoid sounding like workmanlike bores. The power of these two uptempo songs is heightened by them being surrounded with a bevy of stripped-back ballads, all of which need more time to soak in and be properly appreciated. The frosty folk of St Peters is the most affecting, though it soon becomes clear that the simpler, more spacious compositions are the glue that holds this collection together.

 

Down Like Gold doesnt pack the punch of a champion, but its lamenting spirit is bound to leave a few bruises.

 

BY CHRIS GIRDLER                        

 

Best Track: My Spirit Is Broken

If You Like These, Youll Like This: Fleet Foxes FLEET FOXES, For Emma, Forever Ago BON IVER, Out Of Time REM

In A Word: Wounded