In an interview with NME earlier this year, front-man for Foals, Yannis Philippakis proclaimed, “that four-on-the-floor, hi-hat, indie-disco stuff is dead and buried, with a chain of garlic around its neck.” Unfortunately, it takes a bit of time for news to travel from the precipice of hype that is the English glossy music tabloid all the way to the heartland of the Victorian countryside. Ballarat born and raised quintet Gold Fields have released their debut album Black Sun, picking up from where La Roux left off, and herein lies the biggest problem.
The product of four separate recording sessions, beginning in Los Angeles – the home of their label – and ending in their bedrooms, the band’s first full-length record is swathed in hi-fi shimmer and gloss. Unnervingly, the production is more noticeable than the songwriting, so whilst not a note is out of place, the synths sound like they have been gilded with Mr. Sheen and that faux-shine that makes the record feel that little less human and makes it that little bit harder to connect with.
Vin Andanar’s vocals are left high in the mix and are left to compete with the constant explosions of sound. The opening track of the album, Meet My Friends attests to this. Elsewhere on the album, Dark Again, The Woods, Treehouse and Thunder all provide potential airplay fodder but their progenitors have all been there and already left the party.
Unsurprisingly, the band supported The Naked & Famous in the UK and god bless the punters, they must have thought they were experiencing déjà vu, as Gold Fields are so similar to their Trans-Tasman friends in sound that it must have seemed like a parody. Their songs are by no means terrible, they only commit the crime of being unnecessary in 2013. Australian music should strive for sonic-innovation, not follow a global trend that has already lingered on too long.
BY CHRISTOPHER LEWIS
Best Track: Dark Again
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Oracular Spectacular MGMT, Manners PASSION PIT
In A Word: Generic
