Solid Gold “Bodies of Water” Review

I often find myself becoming a slave to vague adjectives when I am writing reviews of CDs that I find myself really liking. Bodies of Water, the first full length from Minneapolis based band Solid Gold, is the latest CD leaving me in that particular conundrum. Moments of the disc are dark and melodramatic with strong electronic undercurrents, while others are understated and more nuanced where their apocalyptic songwriting comes storming to the forefront. I will let you know that I found the CD much easier to sit back and enjoy than I did searching for the most effective descriptor to illuminate the excellent songs that the band has recorded.

The CD is a stirring trip that seems like a perfect soundtrack to a debauchery filled night out in the city. The album has lots of electronic sounding aspects, but it never feels over-processed and has a natural atmospheric quality. The songs on Bodies of Water offer a great juxtaposition of dirty and pulsing electro trash rhythms with some dark, often sinister, lyrics that add to the creeping doom of the record. One of the strongest tracks on the album, “Bible Thumper,” is a dizzying song that contains the lyrics “I woke from the fight in the middle of the night, my hands they smelled like gasoline.” With the propulsive music pushing the song forward, the song feels equally both claustrophobic and epically huge. On an album full of strong tracks, other highlights include upbeat jams “Armored Car” and “Who You Gonna Run To Now?” the title track taken from their EP from last year. Even though “Who You Gonna Run to Now” has been on my radar for what seems like forever, it is a song I am yet to get tired of. The swirling melody is mesmerizing and the chorus, with its enunciated word play, has been stuck in my head on multiple occasions. “Get Over It” with its fuzzy bass line and staccato keyboards stabs is one of the most pop-oriented and more straight forward tracks on the album. Another track that shows the album’s diversity is “Neon Rose,” which combines horns and a calypso-like shuffle with their usual electronic/dance grooves from their rhythm section. The song comes about halfway through the album and really drives the nail in the coffin of anyone who may think Solid Gold is a one trick pony.

This is an album that is multi-faceted in that it is both instantly enjoyable but also offers the listener room to grow. The songs are equally engaging blasting through your speaker system as they are on headphones hearing the separate instruments and the great production from Ryan Olcott (from Minneapolis group Mystery Palace). The band has succeeded in combining some great classic songwriting with musical instrumentation that does not sound stale or outdated. Minneapolis music can sometimes seem overwhelmed with guitar centric songwriters, and it is exciting to hear a really great CD from a different musical standpoint. This album, coming late in the year, is one of my favorite local releases of the year and puts Solid Gold on firm ground as one of the most exciting bands to watch in Minneapolis.

Also: Solid Gold at Rock The Garden 2009