Zach Evans and Jenn Lao back and forth about former Woods bandmember Christian DeRoeck’s newest band Little Gold and their sophomore album, Weird Freedom. It’s “nostalgia rock.” Seriously, watch their video for “Mike Swan” – not exactly the nostalgia their sound would seem to invoke, more lo-fi alt rock circa 1993, but nostalgic nonetheless.
Little Gold – “Mike Swan”
(How is this video not from 1993?)
From: Jennifer Lao
To: Zach Evans
Drink it up, straight out of Brooklyn, Little Gold is out with their 2nd album, Weird Freedom. Prior to this album, the band released On the Knife, a nifty album definitely worthy of some airtime. On Weird Freedom, Christian DeRoeck teams with Brian Markham on bass and Pat Broderick on drums, both from the band Ancient Sky. Keywords for DeRoeck are Meneguar, Woods (pre-2009), and Completely Fucked.
You probably hear Woods and think, “Nah, I don’t need another Woods album.” Well, put your judgment on pause for this one because I’m pretty sure you’re capital Wrong. First off, the top track, “Half the Time,” sounds like it came off a Band of Horses album (an association that’s severed as we progress through the remaining tracks). And sure, the album features “The Kid’s Got Heart,” a track off the Woods’ album How to Survive In/In the Woods, but it’s hardly recognizable. It’s been re-mastered to encompass a wider, deeper range of emotions, complete with pauses in all the right _______ spots. Not to mention DeRoeck’s scratchy voice that delightfully compliments the distorted sound that plays along side. If you’re going to compare Little Gold with Woods, I offer you this: Woods matured into the Amazon (the rainforest, not the online store) and it hasn’t been deforested yet. Little Gold’s album fills the space of a bright, large room instead of a dark, narrow hallway.
Two questions I had on my initial go-around with this album was 1) what’s up with the album title? and 2) who the hell is Miiiiiike Swaaan? I was only able to get half of my questions answered. The band chose its album title after they noted that “our freedom in this country is pretty fucking weird.” The tracks don’t seem to carry that theme throughout the album at all, but I find that we get used to weird pretty quickly so the disconnect faded soon after I hit play. “Oh, Dad!,” a song originally written by Wooden Wand’s James Jackson Toth, is probably the only song that echo’s the album’s title with lines like “you gonna number crunch your way to a heart attack, oh dad, what’s that?” The song has more of a punk rock appeal that didn’t seem to ride the same wave the rest songs were on. Blame it on Toth.
“Sisters & Friends” is a track I thoroughly enjoyed and found pretty unique. The song set the volume of each band member at the same level. Vocals, Drums, Guitars. Now play. There are times you can’t really make out what DeRoeck is singing about but that doesn’t seem to matter because it works so well. This, coming from a girl who routinely asks the sound check guy at shows to turn up the vocals. I’m pretty much 0 for every time, so FYI, don’t.
I’m gonna coin this kind of music nostalgia rock. The upbeat songs made me feel like I was home and happy. Perhaps that’s due to the underlying sounds of country/folk music embedded in the tracks, as heard on “Bird’s Eye.” I’m not saying I want to eat apple pie now while reciting the pledge of allegiance, but a reminder that everything is okay is good from time to time. And what if I did want to? That’s the kind of weird freedom we have around here.
Zach, it’s not Boys II Men, but what do you think!? And what version of “The Kid’s Got Heart” do you prefer?
“Don’t want to talk about, so pass the bottle around.”
Jenn
Listen to the Weird Freedom on Bandcamp.
From: Zach Evans
To: Jennifer Lao
Jenn,
As I was about to write you I dropped a pair of scissors on my keyboard and broke the key between F and H. My initial reaction was to wonder if I could write an entire email without that letter (and you’ll note that I have so far), but then I realized that it was in the name of the band, so I was forced to repair the G key before continuing.
Let me first confess that I was not familiar with Woods prior to receiving Little Gold’s album. So I opened up Spotify and listened to Woods’ pre-2009 albums. I will say this: if you played the second half of At Rear House or any track from How to Survive In/In the Woods for me and then asked if I wanted to hear a new album from someone in that band, I would politely decline. I felt like the mix of ultra lo-fi production and experimental flourishes made for a generally unpleasant listening experience
Which is why I was so surprised to find that I really enjoyed Weird Freedom. I listened to it at work, I listened to it at home, I found myself humming songs from it and momentarily wondering where they were from. It’s a solid folk rock album with just enough hint of Christian DeRoeck’s psychedelic roots to keep things interesting. “The Kid’s Got Heart” blows away the version off Woods’ album. The ridiculously upbeat chorus (with horns!) in “Mike Swan” had my wife dancing around the apartment. The Band of Horses comparison you made is absolutely there at times: I heard it in “The Burn in Time,” as the layers of guitars and vocals build into something beautiful. “I’m not scared when I’ve got you by my side. When you leave, I’m terrified.”
I like your term “nostalgia rock,” and I think it’s as good as any to describe this burgeoning genre of rootsy, folk-inpsired indie rock music. I’m curious to hear how you think Little Gold fits into this scene, particularly since you were familiar with some of their previous output. Their musical evolution in the last couple years seems to be significant; can they keep going up from here? Can they stand out in a genre already crowded with talented, bearded songwriters?
“Can’t shut my eyes, can’t make these wicked thoughts subside,”
Zach
Little Gold – “Sisters and Friends”
Download Little Gold – “Sisters and Friends” (mp3)
From: Jennifer Lao
To: Zach Evans
Zach,
You know the safety tip, “Don’t run with scissors”? It applies to typing also. Be thankful you didn’t poke your eye out. Even more so, be thankful you have two.
The main album DeRoeck produced with Woods, How to Survive In/In the Woods, wasn’t a great one. It sounds very “hey, guys check out what we recorded in my parents’ garage.” The albums Woods have produced since sound much more mature and rich, though I do classify them as a stove-pipe band. Maybe that’s why DeRoeck split. Though I do like Woods, I think their range is limited; they hit a narrow spectrum with their sound and it’s easy to OD on them. Like the Shins, they can pump out a few noteworthy songs and everything else sounds the same. Ah the perils of having a distinct, high-pitched voice. Perhaps that’s why I appreciate Little Gold.
Weird Freedom can be listened to without considering how you’re feeling, what the weather is like outside, and what you ate for dinner last night. It’s fun and I can put it on and space out for a bit without wondering if my ears will be bleeding by the end of the album. Like you said, you listened to it at work, at home, and the wifey even dug it. 3 for 3. My point is Woods is to Little Gold as an apple is to an orange.
Little Gold covers more range in their music. They speed things up in “Mike Swan,” slow things down in “Bad Habits,” and the whole time you’re swaying to the music and you don’t even realize it. And the horns! How did I miss the horns in Mike Swan!? Well noted, Zach. So we both agree, their album is a good and fun one, not a Funyun (do people still eat those?). Now will that translate on stage? Dunno, but I’m definitely game to find out.
Parting words, I think these guys made an album that will hold up. It will be interesting to see where they go from here; I do expect more albums in the future.
“Your bad habit was my favorite thing about you.”
Jenn
Listen to the Weird Freedom on Bandcamp.
From: Zach Evans
To: Jennifer Lao
Jenn,
I think you really hit the nail on the head with your last email. I pretty much agree with everything, except your assessment of Funyuns (which I love and still eat). If I put on an Avett Brothers album, I need to be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride. If I decide to listen to some Band of Horses, I know I’m going to spend a lot of time staring out the window pondering life’s important questions. There is a lot of great music that I can only listen to when I’m in the right mood, but Weird Freedom is an album I can put on anytime. That’s not to say it lacks emotional depth, but rather it’s an emotionally balanced album that effectively mixes fun tracks with more introspective tunes. On top of that, there’s real variety in their sound (as you noted), and, with a tight running time of 30 minutes, the album leaves you satisfied and looking forward to the next listen.
I’ve been thinking a lot about vocal style when listening to Little Gold, particularly in comparison to the Neil Young-ish vocals of Jeremy Earl in Woods. Christian DeRoeck’s voice has been reminding me of another singer, and I finally realized it was J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. They both have a scratchy, world-weary sound that I love. I wouldn’t put DeRoeck in the same league as Mascis yet, but if he continues to develop as a singer then we should be in for some great music down the line.
I’ll end by highlighting a song that you wrote about in your first email, but which I’ve only recently come to appreciate: “Oh, Dad!” It’s not a very remarkable song musically, but the lyrics are an awesome rant against settling for a life as an office drone, seemingly sung from the perspective of an angry teenager questioning his dad. “You gonna take a job and say ‘this’ll do,’ man what happened to all them songs?” As you noted, it has more of a punk sound than the other tracks on Weird Freedom, but I feel like lyrically it really captures the ethos of the band. They’re making rock music and having a blast; they may never become famous or make a ton of cash, but they’ll be damned if they’re ever going to give up and work in a cubicle. And that’s good news for us.
“You gonna watch them all climb higher than you, like you was scared to climb too high.”
Zach
Weird Freedom is out via Loud Baby Sounds. Get it here! It’s cheap!
AudioVole 
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