Additional information
The sad, elegant sounds of the San Francisco-based American Music Club set them apart from the alt-rock throngs, making them one of the most distinctive American bands of the late 1980s/early '90s. The band dissolved in the mid '90s, whereupon singer/songwriter Mark Eitzel went solo, but a decade later most of the original members reunited for 2004's LOVE SONGS FOR PATRIOTS. Four years after that, only Eitzel and guitarist Vudi are still aboard for THE GOLDEN AGE, with a new rhythm section on hand but the classic AMC sound still in effect. GOLDEN AGE is probably American Music Club's quietest, most gentle record in the sonic sense, full of softly picked acoustic guitars and hushed vocals. Eitzel's famously self-lacerating lyrical barbs, however, are as penetrating and uncompromising as ever, his knack for resonant poetic imagery softening the impact as always. Those who appreciate the fragile beauty that marked some of the original lineup's finest moments should feel right at home entering THE GOLDEN AGE.
Reviews
Spin (p.96) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[The album has] an even-tempered groove, with acoustic fingerpicking fading into discordant electric guitar and then back into beats that sashay like ballroom waltzes." Entertainment Weekly (p.94) - "[A] lush collection that ranks among their best. Singer-songwriter Mark Eitzel reconfirms both his offbeat sense of humor...and his soulful vocals..." Uncut (p.72) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "THE GOLDEN AGE is the real thing. These songs catch Eitzel in uplifting mood, aided considerably by Dave Trumfio's production." Alternative Press (p.140) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "What it does have is songwriting, setting the stage with 'All My Love,' a downtrodden pledge of devotion that wears its mood like Leonard Cohen in the rain." No Depression (p.69) - "The music is warm and organic, with somber acoustic guitars and piano, and earthy accents from electric guitars building into the occasional squall." Q (Magazine) (p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Pick of the bunch...is 'The Windows Of The World,' a beautifully executed 9/11 lament that builds to a mighty white-noise climax." Mojo (Publisher) (p.105) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'The Victory Choir' conflates sardonic country rock with sparkling Beach Boys polyphony." Paste (magazine) (p.78) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he results are typically vibrant, if only because this allows Eitzel's deft songcraft to remain front and center." The Word (magazine) (p.98) - "'All My Love' and 'Sleeping Beauty' wrap the world in an unsettlingly seductive narcotic embrace....No one else tackles life's seedy realities with such style and charm."
