American Music Club - The Golden Age
American Music Club formed way back in 1985, which is an eternity ago in modern musical terms. Their first album, Restless Stranger, was released in 1985 with little fanfare and little critical acclaim. Engine came out two years later, and the band’s “slowcore” sound became more fleshed out. With 1988’s California, American Music Club began to develop a small cult following. The follow-up album, 1989’s United Kingdom, saw a release in the UK, but did little for the band’s popularity in North America.
With 1991’s Everclear, AMC released what is still regarded today as their magnum opus. The album gathered steam and won the band a larger following, leading to the signing of the group to Reprise/Virgin. 1993’s Mercury represented shadows of the past for frontman Mark Eitzel, however, as the album didn’t do too well. After another kick at things with San Francisco in 1994, American Music Club disbanded. The group reunited in 2003 with some new members.
Love Songs for Patriots would be released in 2004 and the music would pick up in the international atmosphere, featuring several songs that worked as disdainful allegories of the times. In 2007, the band announced a new line-up and, in February of 2008, a new album was released. The Golden Age represents the return of the barstool prophet in Mark Eitzel and the group behind him is as taut and moving as ever.
While Love Songs for Patriots had its fair share of heated polemics, The Golden Age seems to hold its discontent as its chief virtue. The songs expand little by little, almost like a flower opening to greet the sun. Eitzel’s still here underneath the haze, but for the most part he’s downcast. The melodies and lyrics look inward, creating what seems to be a very personal album.
“Names are only good for grave stones,” Eitzel says on “Decibels and Little Pills.” The song’s depth is affectionately packaged beneath sinuous arpeggios of guitar. Similar natural folk sounds flow out from “All My Love,” the album’s opening track.
It’s a wonder American Music Club hasn’t caught on more. Its folk-infused melodies may be a bit too sluggish for some, but the poignancy and splendour of the music and lyrics is really something extraordinary.
The Golden Age is out of the ordinary enough to work with most indie fans, like the start-and-stop harmonic flourish of “The John Berchman Victory Choir,” but still abundant and fertile enough to capture the attention of those whose taste flows more with the mainstream, as with “Who You Are”.
Whether or not AMC gets noticed, The Golden Age is a pleasing addition to a most impressive catalogue of authentically American songs. The gentleness and affection in the music leaves a striking reflection, deepening the darkness of the water only enough to just see daylight.
7/10
