Los Angeles-based Fool’s Gold is unconventional in every sense of the word. Everything from their group dynamic (the band was originally intended to be an open-ended collective of musicians) to their unusual musical influences (various forms of African music, including Congolese, Ethiopan, Eritrean, and Malian) screams originality. After the 2009 release of their debut album, vocalist/bassist Luke Top and lead guitarist Lewis Pesacov found that their side project had evolved into a tight-knit core group that also included: drummer Garrett Ray, multi-instrumentalist Brad Caulkins, and percussionist Salvador Placencia. It is this new iteration of Fool’s Gold that recently released their sophomore effort, Leave No Trace.
The album’s first two tracks, “The Dive” and “Wild Window”, evoke carefree summer days in a tropical environment. Diving further into the cultural melting pot, “Balmy” impresses with its Latin-inspired bass drum and flamenco guitar rhythms, but Top’s 60s soul-inspired vocals come off as a little bit jarring.
The instrumental pairings through the album run the gamut from playful trumpets in “Tel Aviv” to the stuttering organ in “Narrow Sun”. Fool’s Gold also takes some risks with their rhythmic structures. The last 60 seconds of “Street Clothes” are a free-for-all of trumpets and frenetic vocals that hit a wall without warning, before fading out into a quiet drum rhythm with a hint of synthesizer.
Despite the band’s musical sensibilities and their knowledge of world music, at times they take the safe cultural road. “Bark and Bite” and “Lantern” return to the Hawaiian style and structure of the first two tracks, making the beginning and the ending of the album virtually indistinguishable.
Aside from the repetition, Leave No Trace delights listeners with sounds not often heard on American soil.
Final Words: Perfect for a late summer luau.
[...] as a little bit jarring. The instrumental pairings through the album run the … Read more on eBurbanTrucks' glittering guitar drives band His sweet slide guitar, which evoked the late great Duane [...]