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...album, “The Golden Archipelago,” features strikingly dramatic imagery. A man on a canoe, completely covered in a white sheet, follows a golden, sunlit pathway toward a lush island. It suggests a reversion to an innocent and natural life, immediately hinting at the album??s anti-societal theme. Unfortunately, after appreciating the cover, it is probably best to leave “The Golden Archipelago” alone, as the album fails to achieve the quality of music necessary to back up such a powerful message...
...torment within the album??s lyrics is similarly troubling, and made obvious right from the start. The very first words of opener “Gray Death”—“Beat, beat me to death”—quickly establishes the album??s grim mood. The most biting song on the album, “Chocolate Makes You Happy,” is also one of the most surprising. Neither its title nor its relatively simple melody hints at its lyrical perversity: “Chocolate makes you happy...
...famous folk tune named for a pass in the Appalachian Tennessee, an origin which reveals another of the group’s diverse influences: bluegrass music. Though it’s the shortest song, “Cumberland Gap” stands out as one of the album??s shining moments...
...Falling Down A Mountain” opens with the title track, immediately introducing the multi-layered, complex arrangements which characterize the album??s best songs. Subversive bass lines, syncopated drum beats and a tambourine lay down a solid foundation upon which wild trumpet riffs and trippy synths soon take over, creating an alternately jazzy, new-age feel. Stuart Staples’ oft-commanding vocals seem to politely refrain from overpowering the melodies, neatly weaving themselves into intricate tapestry of disparate sounds. An engaging prelude to the rest of the album, the title track exemplifies what makes the best...
...more audacious tracks. The weak drum beats and timid, painfully repetitive guitar loops invoke a stupor perhaps appropriate to some hazy, dim-lit lounge, but they fail to sustain the energy of the opener. “Keep You Beautiful” also lacks the diversity of the album??s better tracks; while a vibraphone and triangle rescue it from complete monotony, the song pales in comparison to the assortment of musical morsels available elsewhere on the album...