| |
Hey!
We're expecting more reviews for KIN to roll in shortly, but if your
school paper or local weekly has reviewed us, let
us know!
CMJ New Music Monthly - Issue No. 140, 2006
Abridged Too Far - Reviews In Brief
KIN EP Review
Golden
Shoulders offer a sunnier, more upbeat version of the indie-folk Northern
California has been producing like wildfires. All five songs on this
EP are about family, culminating with the line "all of my friends
and family are remarkable people." Can we borrow yours, guys?
Soundgirl.com
- June, 2006
KIN EP Review
By T. Cole Rachel
This
5-song EP from Golden Shoulders clocks in at just a little over twelve
minutes long, which is just long enough to get you hooked. This
is jaunty, poppy, perfectly-produced indie-rock brimming over with
pianos, harmonicas, and exceedingly clever lyrics. Now, if Golden
Shoulders can just channel this charisma into a full-length release,
the world is theirs for the taking.
TransformOnline
- June 5th, 2006
KIN EP Review
By Jason Bronson
Will
pop music ever get old? After over half a century and thousands upon
thousands of hit records and songs, and despite countless deviations
from the basic pop song template (many of them hitmakers in their
own right), it seems obvious that pop is far from dead. Adam Kline,
the primary creative force behind Golden Shoulders, knows this as
well as anyone: and he wants you to know it, too.
Perhaps their rather goofy name means to refer to the giants upon
which Kline and company proudly stand. Their new EP, Kin, is 13 minutes
of brilliant homage to pop innovators, with nods to The Beatles and
Gram Parsons managing to commingle – sometimes within the same
track – without sounding confused or derivative. While not remarkably
original, Golden Shoulders are a band with a sound all its own, even
though its lineup has been in constant rotation since the band’s
inception in 2001.
Kline seems to pull this off by sticking to a rule of simplicity:
the songs speak for themselves with little or no embellishment. Only
a few drops of reverb even made it to the mixing board: vocals, guitars,
pianos, and drums come through dry as a bone, making for a very organic,
fully present record. And it sounds fantastic, except for the crappy
sounding synth piano on “Daughters,” which is nevertheless
a fantastic track.
While Kline writes somewhat pedestrian lyrics, he is clearly not short
on wit. But it’s his talent and skill as a singer that really
make an impression. Kline is a great vocalist and he makes it sound
easy to come up with an attractive melody, but he never shows off;
for Kline – unlike makers of more fluff-infused pop –
the song is what is important, not the fact that he’s the guy
who wrote it and is singing it.
He gets some good help, too. On “Be Warned,” Kline takes
a back seat to the sweet harmonizing of one Elissa Spencer; he knows
when a voice matches a song better than his own ever could alone,
and Spencer’s voice makes the simple pop ballad into a sexy,
haunting kind of siren song. Then there is the timeless, instantly
gratifying hook of the cynical “There’s No Reason,”
which becomes unshakable after only a couple of listens.
It’s no doubt easier to release a great record of five tracks
than it is to produce an entire album’s worth of good music,
but that doesn’t diminish in the least the greatness of these
five songs. Kline seems interested primarily in Golden Shoulders making
good music. With Kin, they have.
Adapt
Magazine - April, 2006
KIN EP Review
By Matt Hebert
Formed
in 2001 as a loosely assembled group of musicians from Nevada City,
California and fronted by the wondrous Adam Kline, Golden Shoulders
have a reputable record of group members, some of which includes Joanna
Newsom, Greg Brown of Cake and Deathreay, Dan Elkan who’s known
for his work with Hella as well as Josh Klinghoffer amongst others.
With two critically acclaimed records under their belt, Golden Shoulders
returned to the studio at the end of 2005 where they recorded Kin.
With a release through the up and coming label Welcome Home Records,
Kin is five attractively structured indie-pop songs that are heavily
reminiscent of The Beatles in their early to mid years. Tracks
like “Daughters“ and “Golden Rules” encompass
Adam’s intelligent songwriting niche. Whether it’s
Kline’s clamorous, vindicating lyrics or the compassionate instrumentation
backing him, Kin is nothing shy of a wholesome example of how smoothly
Adam Kline can pilot his prodigious outfit known as Golden Shoulders.
Willamette
Week - September 7, 2005
Bro Zone Album Review
By Matt Wright
Following
last year's Own Zone, local label States Rights Records' latest compilation,
Bro Zone, features new and exclusive contributions from a predominantly
Portland-based crew of 26 artists, all of whom have been asked to
explore the unifying themes of friendship and pop culture. The results
are eclectic and consistently rewarding. E*Rock, YACHT and DJ Hot
Air Balloon kick things off with a brilliant and hilarious attempt
at hip-hop's current "chopped 'n' screwed" style (most famously
employed by Houston MC Mike Jones), which moves quickly into Dirty
Projectors' fever-dreamed digital afropop, Bobby Birdman's laid-back
zydeco jams, and a lovely steel-drum workout from recent Portland
imports Hooliganship. Other highlights include Jib Kidder's gorgeous
booty-meets-IDM track, Atole's bonkers south-of-the-border techno,
Golden Shoulders' shambling guitar pop, and a Fleetwood Mac cover
from Bobby Birdman and Little Wings.
Taken as a whole, Bro Zone presents an exciting glimpse into a new
kind of Northwest music, one that is mindful of the indie legacy of
the region while looking to influences beyond the rock canon and fervently
embracing the new possibilities afforded by cheap digital technology.
For proof of this vision, check what may well be the centerpiece of
the comp: Lucky Dragons' chopped-electro bootleg of Nirvana's "About
a Girl." Bro Zone starts here and emanates outwards.
Athens
Banner-Herald - May 12, 2005
On the Record Player: The Whigs
Let My Burden Be Album Mention
By Parker Gispert
Ditties
of Mr. Adam Kline set to Prozac-pop. Scattered slow and fast songs,
all of which have an uptempo feel that remains danceable without a
pounding kick drum. Danceable rock with no house beat? A good summer
driving CD from the boys of Nevada City.
MOJO
- April, 2005
Friendship Is Deep Album Review
By David Hutcheon
In
the space of 15 months, Adam Kline has released two fine albums (the
first was 'Let My Burden Be') and gone through 30 collaborators. It's
not that he's a dictator, just that most were on a sabbatical from
Cake, PJ Harvey, Vincent Gallo and dozens of Cali bands that have
yet to impact this side of the pond. This is a very American take
on what passes for a Beatles homage, like a rocking alt-country outfit
trying to pastiche the 'White Album' ('Nothing's All Right'), or grungy
slackers catching up on 'Rubber Soul' pop ('Don't Ever Do That Again').
You get the feeling that the often magical melodies arose by accident
rather than design, while Kline concentrated on the self-deprecatory
lyrics ("I asked them for a hand and they lifted a finger").
They could be huge (and not just at band reunions).
Four out of five stars.
Magnet
- January/February, 2005
Friendship Is Deep Album Review
By Magnet Staff
When
Adam Kline, the head atop Golden Shoulders, insists he "will
light you on fire," you better believe it. This California indie-pop
band's sophomore release is a sharp political satire filled with compelling
protest lines reminiscent of Bob Dylan's early work. Touching equally
on surfer-rosa rock, alt-country and nerd bop, Kline fishes for inspiration
in a seemingly bottomless bag of influences.
Friendship Is Deep Album Review
By James Christopher Monger
2002's
Let My Burden Be was an over-looked, left field gem that sounded like
a cross between the the Modern Lovers, Pavement and the poppier moments
off of the first Violent Femmes record. Adam Kline and his rotating
cast of Pacific Northwest miscreants' latest, Friendship Is Deep,
mines much of the same acerbic political and emotional territory,
but without the snap, crack and swagger that fueled their infectious
debut. There's still a great deal to love here though, as Kline's
wit and venom are carried along by an army of talented musicians that
help pull some of the more mid-tempo pieces ("Golden Soldiers",
"I Will Light You on Fire", "Nothing's Alright")
out of the murky deep. The Shoulders are at their best when the gloves
come off and garage door starts shaking, and somewhere between the
driving "This Is A Test" and the Gary Glitter-smack of "the
Committee" -- thanks in part to the dual assault of Josh Klinghoffer's
meaty bass and clock-like precision of drummer Todd Roper -- they
find their groove, rendering everything else on Friendship is Deep
to gravy.
Splendid
E-zine - November 26th, 2004
Friendship Is Deep Album Review
By Georgiana Cohen
This
review was written during the wax and wane of an electoral moon. Is
it fair to Golden Shoulders -- a largely amorphous band of brothers
fronted by Adam Kline -- to evaluate Friendship is Deep amid the emotional
upheaval of an election lost (or won, depending on your allegiances)?
Oddly enough, it couldn't be more appropriate.
That said, Friendship is not a political album, at least not the sort
of politics you're used to (sick of?) hearing about by this point.
Kline studies, with great success, the politics of people. He debates
action versus inaction, apathy versus concern. There are no draft-dodging
or war-mongering choruses intoned here; rather, the concept of participation
is explored through energetic pop melodies, shiny harmonies and precociously
astute lyrics.
From the rhythmic opener "I Will Light You On Fire", in
which declarations like "Knock it over, start rebuilding / Just
to keep from wasting time" are laid out over the trance-line
repetition of the song's title, Golden Shoulders make us sit up straight
and listen. The line weighing the merits of discussions and concussions
is representative of the album's prevailing sentiment.
Kline's vocal chords appear to have been cut from the same tree that
yielded the slightly nasal yet deliciously harmonic wood for fellow
popsmith Brendan Benson's voicebox. They get to dance around a bit
on "Don't Ever Do That Again", a jangly scolding if there
ever was one, in which Kline chides, "Wasted your whole life
/ Don't ever do that again." The militaristic, uptempo "Golden
Soldiers" seems to deride the armchair activist -- "Is it
worth the fight and worth the pain / to lose your right to complain?"
"The Committee" is a hyperactive, anthemic charter that
marvelously parodies the bureaucracy of ideology.
Some of the songs come through with slightly more blatant politics
than others. "The New Breed" anonymously refers to the group
"that I read about in the papers." Why, who could he mean?
"They're pulling flowers / to get the weeds," Kline surmises,
concluding, "Blame the mess / on the new breed." Enjoyably,
the song remains ambiguous enough to please rockers of all political
stripes. The lack of loaded heavy-handedness is refreshing.
The sweetly sung "Everybody's Trying To Be My Villain" masquerades
as a personal lament, but it's really just a more first-person oriented
look at an increasingly hostile landscape. However, closer "O
Come On" hits a little closer to home: lines like "You're
worth more than you deserve" make you wince on a less global
level. Friendship is Deep reads alternately like a journal and a treatise
-- a careful balance to maintain, but a feat that Golden Shoulders
pulls off successfully.
How best to sum up Golden Shoulders? They're sort of like the anti-Bright
Eyes -- and oddly enough, both acts have references to light and anatomy
in their names! Conor Oberst and his rotating ragtag emo posse churn
out droning laments that teeter on the threshold of heartbreak and/or
suicide, and those sorts of songs certainly have their place in the
indie rock nomenclature. But Kline and his collaborators use their
stage to wryly observe and impart witty, pithy insight, emphasizing
pro-active measures over, well, sitting in bed and wallowing. All
of this with little or no pretentiousness -- and that's nothing to
shrug at.
Delusions
of Adequacy - November 23rd, 2004
Friendship Is Deep Album Review
By Chuck Zak
In
that vast sea of fuzzy, DIY indie-pop, Golden Shoulders are exactly
where they deserve to be. Somewhere between a passable combination
of Guided By Voices and Cake and a more exciting synthesis of the
Beatles and Pavement is where this band calls home – a stretch
of musical real estate whose borders may be in dispute, but whose
center is forever choked with talented songwriters trying to squeeze
out that one last wrinkle.
Within that competitive community - all trying to match the heights
of their battered-acoustic guitar-slinging icons - Golden Shoulders
hold their own. Friendship is Deep has enough moments of sharp pop
craft and witty wordplay to make you momentarily ignore the crushing
pointlessness of it all, a pointlessness that really isn’t the
Shoulders fault, mind you. They’ve heard fantastic pop songs
and they want to join in. So they write songs like “I Get Over”
or “Nothing’s All Right,” glowing little satellites
of tunage doomed to orbit around enormous gas giants of pop songwriting
such as [insert timeless standard here], which force both the listener
and the reviewer to confront the most terrifying question of all:
why bother writing another song, ever? Really, why?
This crisis could’ve been triggered by any number of bands,
not just Golden Shoulders. In fact, this Sacramento-based support
system for head Shoulder Adam Kline puts out spunky, clever rockers
like “Don't Ever Do That Again” and “Golden Soldiers”
that groove their way through the rough production and drill them
selves into your head with a professional’s precision. The lyrics
admirably confront the daily pressures of conformity without resorting
to pedantry or overly obtuse poetry, with a palpable anger beneath
the wit. “The Committee” is an especially strong example
of one songwriter’s discontent in the face of four more years
of an administration that prizes and promotes uniformity and criminalizes
dissent.
Friendship is Deep slackens a bit towards the end, though. “Everybody’s
Trying to be My Villain” possesses a typically smart lyrically
but also a whiff of the smarm that renders their Sacramento neighbors
Cake insufferable. Still, the disc is as strong as 2002’s Let
My Burden Be, a fine entry into the British Invasion fetish sweepstakes
itself.
Of that ilk, Golden Shoulders are the near equal of better known acts
like Apples in Stereo or even the more obscure (but still very fine)
Orgone Box in their skill with time-tested psych-pop maneuvers. So
why the hesitance to embrace them? Well, there’s no accounting
for taste, I guess, nor for the moment when one reaches the point
of saturation. Unfortunately both I and the Shoulders have arrived
at that point simultaneously. Please render my ambivalence to Friendship
is Deep mute by discovering these guys and lavishing them with the
only praise that matters, the enduring love of a paying customer.
Babysue
- October, 2004
Friendship Is Deep Album Review
By LMNOP
Intelligent melodic pop that drips over the edges with cool melodies
and neat arrangements. Golden Shoulders is the project spearheaded
by Adam Kline... a young man with a keen ability to write memorable
tunes. The tunes on Friendship is Deep sound simultaneously familiar
and unfamiliar... a nice balance which challenges the listener while
providing enough of a comfort zone for easy listening. Kline enlisted
the help of a wide range of musicians to assist here...some well known
and some who are obscure. The end result is a tight little album chock
full of surprises. The lyrics are honest and insightful... and thoughtfully
reproduced inside the front insert. Drawing from a wide range of influences
while never sounding exactly like any one band, Kline and company
keep the quality up throughout all twelve tracks. Top picks: "I
Will Light You On Fire," "This is a Test," "I
Get Over," "Believe Me."
RATING: 5 (EXCELLENT)
AFSK
Sunday Service
Die Platte der Woche
Friendship Is Deep Album Review
By PZ
Musik
von der Westküste der USA klingt eigentlich immer angenehm und
entspannt. Das war in den 60er Jahren schon so und ist teilweise immer
noch der Fall. Bestes Beispiel ist das zweite Album von den Golden
Shoulders "Friendship Is Deep". Aus Nevada City kommen die
vier Jungs um Adam Kline. Für Aufnahmen und Auftritte wird das
Line-Up gerne mal zum lockeren Kollektiv erweitert: Joanna Newsom
(die vor kurzem erst auf Drag City ein beachtenswertes Album veröffentlichte),
Kyle Field (aka K Records Künstler Little Wings) und viele andere
reihen sich ein in die Liste der Kollaborateuren. Diese Einflüsse
dürften dafür verantwortlich sein, dass die Golden Shoulders
zwar irgendwie nach Indie-Rock klingen, trotzdem aber nicht dem typischen
Klischee entsprechen: eine angenehme Unruhe kann man den Songs anhören.
Sie klingen weder perfekt auf den Punkt produziert, noch skizzenhaft
dilettantisch vorgetragen. Smarte Bassläufe, geistreiche Texte
und catchy Melodien sind die Grundlage für prima Popsongs der
Golden Shoulders.
Alive
& Kicking - September, 2004
Friendship Is Deep Album Review
By Jerry Perry
The
first sound you hear on Golden Shoulders' new CD Friendship Is Deep,
is a slow tempo piano melody delivered by Dave Brockman (The Miles,
Jackpot). It sets the tone for the vocal parts that follow, layered
over the piano, and ultimately layered over themselves. Dave's piano
also sets the tone in defining Golden Shoulders and this CD. Golden
Shoulders is the vehicle for musician Adam Kline to perform his clever,
catchy songs. The band is an ever-changing cast of friends that Adam
has performed with in multiple projects over the years. Among the
many players joining Adam on this, the second Golden Shoulders release,
are Neal Morgan and Jason Graham from Adam's previous band, the Gears,
Todd Roper and Greg Brown, both previously of Cake and now in Deathray.
Dana Gumbiner also in Deathray and formerly of LGS performed as well
as produced. Dan Elkan (Pocket For Corduroy), Josh Klinghoffer (PJ
Harvey, Beck), Lee Bob Watson (Jackpot) and frequent Adam collaborators
Ehren Haas, Marc Snegg, Brett Shady and Charla Ausman complete the
list of friends on this project.
Dave's
opening piano sets the tone in a third and most obvious way on Friendship
Is Deep. It is a subtle, soothing intro that belies the overall feel
of the CD. The last Golden Shoulders CD, the debut Let My Burden Be,
was produced by Victor Damiani and Greg Brown. These two ex-Cake-sters
really showed how much they had to do with the sound of Cake's Fashion
Nugget, from back when they were in the band. Let My Burden Be was
a very lively, big beat album. Interestingly and quite effectively
Dana brings a different tone to Friendship Is Deep. The songs come
off as dreamier. This works wonderfully with Adam's Beatles-like songwriting
sensibilities. It also points out a certain adaptibility of Adam's
songs. With a different producer these songs would have no doubt have
come off much differently, but then that is the nature of Golden Shoulders.
At some shows Adam has a full band, and at others, maybe just one
accompanist. Some nights he rocks, some nights he croons. This CD
captures a more relaxed Golden Shoulders, especially with numbers
like "I Will Light You On Fire" and "Nothing's All
Right." Now don't get the wrong idea... this isn't a CD of ballads.
There are many uptempo tracks. "This Is A Test" is a jumpy,
almost Elvis Costello-like piece, and "Years" is a hyper
rant about comeuppance with Adam singing "moving on's for better
men / and I'm not one of them / I will stick around and sulk for years."
Adam's songwriting is always the real joy and constant of Golden Shoulders.
Every song delivers his treasured turns of phrases and typically many
per song. In "Everybody's Trying To Be My Villain," he sings,
"and maybe someday I will not be destitute / and I will be kicked
by a better brand of boot." Or in "the Committee" he
takes jabs at soulless consensus "and we are now scheduling talks
/ for shorter piers and longer walks." Overall, the songs on
Friendship actually have a very solitary, almost fatalistic feel to
them. Sure, much of it is tongue in cheek, but it is definitely a
more somber collection of songs than on the last CD, regardless of
the production. Ultimately, what makes Friendship Is Deep such a great
followup to Let My Burden Be is instead of doing that album again,
Adam and the gang have given us its perfect companion. Another Side
Of Golden Shoulders? Of course. And hopefully, many more to come.
Astrarium
- July 14, 2003
Let My Burden Be Album Review
By Heidi De Vries
I confess: I picked up this album months and months ago because I
thought one of the guys in the band was cute. The good news is that
the music holds up just fine after the crush wears off. More than
just fine. This album is amazing, indie rock as it should be played,
clever in its references and still fresh. I guarantee you'll be hooked
from the very first stomps and claps of "Do You Know Who You
Are?" or I'll eat my hat. Joanna Newsom's wonderful voice joins
Adam Kline's on the folksy "The Honey, The Power, The Light",
and the similarly ballad-like "Goodbye Hummingbird" gets
me in the chest every time. Now I really really really need to catch
them live, so I can sing along to everything like a total groupie.
Splendid
E-zine - June 23, 2003
Let My Burden Be Album Review
By Phillip Buchan
When
I was in New York a couple of months ago, few things annoyed me more
than the slew of street vendors and dubious boutiques hawking imitation
designer goods. Being a small town guy, the only similar experience
I'd had came upon leaving one of Weezer's stadium rock extravaganzas,
when I was tackled by a barrage of unlicensed band merchandise dealers
offering their knock-off shirts at half the price (and a third of
the quality) of the ones inside the gates. In both cases, I had to
wonder how these guys found enough people gullible enough to keep
them in business, as well as how anyone could feel right about making
a living off of such a sham.
Now
that I've been introduced to Golden Shoulders, I understand that a
fake is sometimes just as good as the original. Pay $30 for an imposter
Rolex and sure, your watch will probably fall apart in a year, but
for the time that it does work, it serves its purpose just as well
as any other watch: it tells time. It's the same thing with Golden
Shoulders. The band members hail from Cali, but that doesn't stop
them from adopting a British accent in both their vocals and music.
Maybe the guys are just transplants from across the pond, in which
case I'd be wrong, but it seems to me that their Brit stylings are
a deliberate choice rather than a natural result of geographic location.
That's fine, really, because once you get past the fake accent dilemma,
Golden Shoulders' songs do exactly what they're supposed to: weasel
their way into a prime spot in your listening rotation.
So
maybe I overplayed the whole "imitation" theme, because
aside from the lifted British vibe, Let My Burden Be is a refreshingly
individualized work. Okay, "Do You Know Who You Are?" recalls
Texas Is the Reason, but only because of titular similarities. As
far as sound goes, imagine glam rock by way of Ben Folds, with stomps,
claps, piano, "la la la"s and a swelling chorus melting
together for a killer pop tune. While it would be easy enough to put
out an album of variations on that one theme, each song branches off
down a different path, perhaps tapping vigorous British folk ("The
Honey, the Power, the Light") or swaying about like a good hymn
("Golden Arms"), and at one point even venturing into alt-country
territory ("A Short and Fleeting Thing"). Along the way,
the Shoulders tip their hats to the usual UK landmarks (Fab Four,
Stones, Queen) and also channel Supergrass's bubbly energy on the
electric guitar-fueled numbers. Songwriter and frontman Adam Kline
must have taken good notes in Pop Music 101, because nary a note is
gratuitous or boring -- the melodies are tight and the choruses deliver
a big payoff every time.
So
whether Golden Shoulders are real Brits or just budding Anglophiles,
they've got a good handle on the whole rollicking pop thing. Fake
accent or not, Let My Burden Be is indeed the real deal when it comes
to quality sing-along rock.
Santa
Barbara Independent - Sound & Fury
Let My Burden Be Album Review
By Keir DuBois
These
Nevada City roots-rockers recently stomped through town to flaunt
some crunchy pop songs spiked with the genial wit and sharp lyricism
of frontman Adam Kline. Their album sounds like the last time
you were brilliantly intoxicated, ambling ("Do You Know Who You
Are?") shuffling ("Genius") and waltzing ("Spirit
of '78") through an assured, resolute set that doesn't let up
one bit- even closer "Time We Took Away" cannily makes the
subtlest of tempo changes right in time and on a dime.
In Music We Trust #59 - April, 2003
Let My Burden Be Album Review
By Alex Steininger
Sacramento's
indie-rock outfit Golden Shoulders, featuring plenty of assistance
from labelmates Deathray, deliver a sublime debut with Let My Burden
Be, a mixture of folk-rock, mid-tempo pop songs, and stunning rockers.
This is a diverse, cohesive collection of songs that strive for the
best, hitting each genre square in the mouth, and meld them to come
up with something that, though draws on other influences, is pretty
distinctively its own. I'll give it a B+.
All
Music Guide
Let My Burden Be Album Review
By Tim Sendra
Bands
that come out of nowhere and knock you off your feet are one of the
best things about music. Add Golden Shoulders to that list. Sure,
some of the members of the group were in bands like Cake, Deathray
and Jackpot but Golden Shoulders were a totally unknown group. When
dealing with an unknown, sometimes comparisons can help with context,
so here goes: Kind of like Grandaddy with a radio ready sense of melody
or Mercury Rev if they had turned to the Archies instead of the Band
for mentoring, Golden Shoulders play indie rock that is rooted in
guitars, both acoustic and electric, but sounds like the future. Through
it all is Adam Kline. He wrote all the songs and sings them in a nasally,
instantly memorable style. Album opener "Do You Know Who You
Are" kicks you right in the gut with drums that sound like refugees
from a Sweet record and a killer hook that would make Kareem proud.
Following a song this good should be impossible, but Let My Burden
Be never lets down. The songs are a blend of folky ballads ("The
Honey, The Power, The Light," "Spirit of '78," "Goodbye
Hummingbird"), midtempo tracks ("Finding Out, " "One
to Be For") and strutting rockers ("Time We Took Away, "
"Bring Me Down"). These are songs that will stick in your
head and make you want to hear the record again and again. It has
staying power. If you want to be knocked off your feet, make sure
to check out Golden Shoulders.
the
Simpsonian - February 19th, 2003
Let My Burden Be Album Review
By Matt Edwards
Don't
be fooled into thinking that just because this is Golden Shoulders'
debut release that the band is full of amateurs. In fact, it is quite
the opposite. Golden Shoulders is comprised of members of Jackpot,
Deathray, The Gears, and, most notably, Cake. Even though you may
not recognize most of the names above, the point is still there: These
guys have experience. And it shows.
Sporting a sound reminiscent of later Beatles material, "Let
My Burden Be" is a thoughtful and diverse record. The group's
lead singer, Adam Kline, wisely used his years with The Gears to hone
his singing and songwriting skills, and it truly shows with this release.
It is hard to nail down the sound of Golden Shoulders because it is
full of rock, pop, folk and even some country elements throughout
the record. Adding to this variety are the guest contributions of
several other artists. Most notably are the female vocals, which lend
backup on nearly one-third of "Let My Burden Be."
You probably are wondering if this even sounds like anything Cake
has done. The answer is yes and no. There are a couple songs that
evoke memories of the Cake sound instrumentally, yet the lyrics are
not quirky or as catchy. Golden Shoulders is really focused on the
great songwriting and combining pop elements together that compliments
the lyrics, and vice versa. With "Let My Burden Be" they
have made a great attempt at doing just that.
On some of the tracks you can tell they've nailed it. The album's
first cut, "Do You Know Who You Are?" is a prime example.
It's got a really solid sound, with a good hook in the chorus to keep
you wanting more. The albums eighth track, "Genius," picks
up along the same lines. The guitar riffs really stand out and draw
you in. However, in between those tracks is where the album almost
gets lost. The sound becomes nearly monotonous and boring at times.
You may find yourself listening to songs half way through and then
moving on to the next. That's kind of the curse and blessing of having
such a great, diverse record.
If you want great pop hooks, there's a few. If you want a great mellow
listen, this'll give you some of that. If you have short attention
span, this album may drive you nuts at times and you'll just want
to say "to hell with it" and throw some Slayer into the
CD player instead.
Listening to this album will take patience. However, the more you
listen, the more you will reap the rewards. "Let my Burden Be"
may not be the best choice for simply a casual music listener. Yet,
someone who enjoys excellent songwriting, with thoughtful, diverse
pop melodies wouldn't be sorry to give this one a try.
Alive
& Kicking - February, 2003
Let My Burden Be Album Review
By Jerry Perry
When
you see the roster of talent behind this release, it really shouldn't
be too surprising that this is one of the standout local releases
of 2002. Seriously.. involved in one way or another are all the guys
from Deathray as players and engineers, Jackpot's Rusty Miller doin'
his guitar thing, and ex-Jackpot drummer David Brockman on piano.
The album was released though Doppler Records (run by Keara Fallon
& Deathray's Victor Damiani) in association with Blackliner Records
(run by members of the Skirts). However, what may be surprising to
those not familiar with Golden Shoulders is that all those ringers
are just the icing on the cake, For as much as they bring to this
project, nobody brings more than Adam Kline. Basically, Golden Shoulders
is Adam Kline and whomever happens to be playing with him, performing
his infectiously catchy tunes. You might remember Adam as the singer
of the late-great Nevada City trio, the Gears, or maybe you missed
out on that little moment of pop genius too. If so, here's your chance
to redeem your unfortunate lapse in hipness. Let My Burden Be is Adam
at his cheerful, ironic, cynical best. His songwriting has never been
better, and his melodies are just as '60s-pop stylized as they were
with his previous projects. While listening to the CD it's fun to
pick out wonderful lines like,
"I'm
only worth my weight in earth / but I've learned the fact / An arm
in every arm means two knives in every back"
Adam
is constantly turning great phrases, and then he turns those great
phrases into great songs. "Do You Know Who You Are" is like
a f'ed-up version of Bob Dylan's "To Ramona," that verse
after verse expresses a witty frustration and yet is as sing-songy
as any Turtles song. "The Honey, The Power, The Light (Kyle's
Blues)" is an epic, rambling anti-establishment number that reminds
us of how powerful an angry song can be when sung and not screamed.
"I
cannot be swayed to a life of frustration / of punching in walls
when I'd rather punch nations / to never stop fighting means not
knowing victory / So give me blank books to fill up with history
/ there's more to beliefs than just spouting assumptions / and wait
for the big foot to descend and crush them"
Adam's
singing has never sounded better. He's got a voice that falls somewhere
between Cake's John McCrea and, oh, let's say a happy, tuneful Lou
Reed. Adam is accompanied vocally on a few tracks by longtime collaborator
Joanna Newsom whose voice has always reminded me of Cyndi Lauper meets
Blossom Dearie. No one la-la-la-las or whoa-oh-whoa-oh-whoa-ohs better,
and I'm not being facetious. Those two together are magic... or I
should say, even more magic. Golden ShouIders' Burden is one we should
all be happy to have.
Delusions
of Adequacy - January 27th, 2003
Let My Burden Be Album Review
By Eddie Fournier
To
put it simply, Let My Burden Be is filled with the sort of indie-pop
tunes that feel absolutely timeless. It is complicated and genius,
but in a simple and easily accessible sort of way, and it is filled
to the brim with the sort of songs that will burrow their way into
your brain whether you like it or not. Frontman Adam Kline is joined
by Jason Graham of his former band, the Gears, as well as Rich Good
and drummer Todd Roper, of Cake and Deathray fame. Greg Brown, also
of Cake, and Rusty Miller of Jackpot lead a host of guest musicians
that drop by to contribute everything from vocals to piano to handclaps.
The end result is nostalgic yet remarkably fresh, and while some people
compared the Gears' sound to that of early Beatles, this Golden Shoulders
album could be compared to later Beatles.
The opening "Do You Know Who You Are?" is nothing short
of irresistible, and it really doesn't get much worse from there,
all the way down to the folky politics of "The Honey, the Power,
the Light." Lyrics range from witty and thought-provoking to
simple choruses of "lah lah lah," and the same goes for
the music in general. You get a little taste of everything, with one
song transporting you to a summer country fair, while another will
have you cradled in a rocking chair on the back porch. One minute
you'll be bouncing around like a kid with too much sugar in his system,
and the next you will be slowly dancing with a loved one. From rock,
to pop, to folk, there is a little bit of everything, and it all works
together beautifully, with modern production styling meshing with
traditional rock songwriting to create something truly wonderful.
If Phil Ochs were writing pop songs today, and collaborated with George
Harrison or John Lennon, it might sound something like this. Yet this
is not simply a rehashing of the classic pop songbook but rather a
new and sophisticated page entirely. If you are any fan of thoughtful,
diverse, and entertaining pop-rock, this one is certainly worth checking
out.
the
Sentimentalist #10 (winter x issue)
Let My Burden Be Album Review
By Adam Michelman
Evolution
has brought us to the point where artists who excel at writing AM-radio
ready pop songs are either criminally overlooked or treated as mere
novelty acts. Get ready to add Golden Shoulders to these ranks.
Album opener "Do You Know Who You Are?" is catchy
as hell, has a killer chorus, and clocks in at a perfect three and
a half minutes. In other words, they found the holy grail for
the genre. The rest of the album follows suit, although some
tracks end up a little too precious ("A Short and Fleeting Thing"),
even to the point of being annoying ("Bring Me Down"). Golden
Shoulders are a bit more lo-fi than their contemporaries, but it works.
In leaving the shimmer off, the songs manage to stand on their
own. And what's a pop record without the songs?
Heckler
Magazine #59
Let My Burden Be Album Review Excerpt
By jrawks
...
exudes Brendan Benson hipster style, Jonathan Richman songwriting
wit and Paul Westerberg suave and slickness. All the ingredients for
a classic pop record.
Dream
Magazine #3
Let My Burden Be Album Review
By George Parsons
When
Nevada City band
the Gears broke up last year, I don’t think anyone would have
dreamt that something this remarkable would rise from the ashes. In
the Gears Adam Kline shared songwriting duties with Jason Graham,
here he writes them all, and though Jason and Neal of the Gears are
here, (among others) this is not another Gears album. Where the Gears
were in an early Merseybeat mode; this has grown up to embrace a much
wider musical palette. Adam is a bit of a musical chameleon; changing
his colors for every song. Stylistically drifting through musical
halls, country county fairs, folk songs, Rufus Wainwright’s
lush narcissistic pop, Ray Davies’ wit, self awareness and pop
sense. A song like A Short and Fleeting Thing is a bit like Phil Ochs
singing a song for Cake (several former members of that band are on
hand). Overhead Underground feels like one of the best 1970s John
Lennon songs; and Adam is sophisticated enough to not merely echo
other great songwriters; he’s adding his own chapter to the
book. Where the Gears was a bright cheerful promise, this is the full
delivery of all that vow involved and more than anyone had a rational
right to expect.
Sacramento
News & Review - October 24th, 2002
Let My Burden Be Album Review
By Jackson Griffith
This
Nevada City group features singer-guitarist-songwriter Adam Kline
and bassist Jason Graham (both from another pop group called the Gears),
along with drummer Todd Roper (Cake, Deathray) and lead guitarist
Rich Good. Kline comes from the arched-eyebrow school of pop songwriting,
heavy on the more thespian leanings of such dandies as the Kinks'
Ray Davies and Hunky Dory-era David Bowie. This group debut should
please any dedicated follower of fashion, along with most Anglophiles;
Kline's sonic vision was given full flower by team Deathray (recorded
and mixed by Greg Brown, Victor Damiani and Kline and mastered by
Dana Gumbiner), which added proper amounts of sweet ear candy or dry
1960's-era Shel Talmy sonic vision wherever needed. Kline wrote all
13 songs. Not all of them shine with brittle brilliance, but such
ditties as "Spirit of 78," "Genius" and "Overhead
Underground" are quite swell.
California
Aggie - October 15th, 2002
Let My Burden Be Album Review
By Nick Holm
Adam
Kline, the singer of Golden Shoulders, has a horrible voice. But don’t
worry; it’s horrible like Bob Dylan’s. And that’s
a good thing.
It appears as if, a long time ago, on a dreary evening in Nevada City,
Calif., the aforementioned Bob Dylan and his good friend Paul McCartney
shared a large bottle of whiskey. They got kinda drunk, one thing
led to another, and despite the near-impossible biology of the whole
thing, nine months later Adam Kline was born.
He grew up hard and fast on the rough streets of Nevada City, seeking
guidance from his mentor, a lost and confused Lou Reed. Kline was
bitter regarding the tragic circumstances of his birth and knew that
one day, he would get his own back — oh yes, he would show them
all. Or something like that.
Which is a long way of saying that Let My Burden Be is an amazing,
if eclectic, little album. Pop, rock, folk and even a hint of bluegrass
vie for attention within its walls, from the catchy pop-style “Do
You Know Who You Are?” to the blunt folk ballad “The Honey,
the Power, the Light.”
There is a soul in Let My Burden Be; you can hear it in the imaginative
lyrics, the lively melodies and the fantastic syncopated rhythms.
Harmony and discord run rampant as the absurdly — for lack of
a better word — pretty backing vocals jar roughly with Kline’s
rasping. The poetic lyrics are only the tip of the musical iceberg.
Closer inspection yields an undercurrent of strong and varied guitar
work, supported by the sophisticated drum work of Todd Roper. Golden
Shoulders combines traditional rock with alternative stylings to create
a plethora of outstanding tracks, which explore the uncharted realms
of rock fusion.
Let My Burden Be, a unique work from an up-and-coming band, is for
anyone who likes their rock to be thoughtful, diverse and, above all,
entertaining.
Rash
Magazine - October 10th, 2002
Let My Burden Be Album Review Excerpt
By Noah Masterson
Let
My Burden Be is the masterpiece we all knew Adam Kline was capable
of…genius!
Sacramento
News & Review - December 20th, 2001
Scene & Heard Excerpt
By Jackson Griffith
...
Opening was Golden Shoulders, a young Nevada City quintet led by 23-year-old
Adam Kline. “Can you believe this?” exclaimed Jackpot’s
Rusty Miller, who was standing in the crowd. “This guy’s
amazing.” The crowd liked the diminutive Kline, too, although
this writer found him a bit too sardonically twee--think Davy Jones
of the Monkees on a more Bohemian coffeehouse bent. He had commanding
stage presence, though, but the Shoulders got more out of tune as
the set progressed, winding up somewhere between a Mexican jarocho
band on peyote and the Shaggs upon discovering the music of Arnold
Schoenberg. Still, you can’t really fault a group so early in
what appears to be a promising career.
|
|
