Music Review: “The Surrounding Hours” by The GoldRoom

Rock music with a twist. I put this on while I was in my basement, packing up old books. The light down there hasn’t worked in awhile, so it is dark, damp and smells of rats nests. Spider webs in your hair is a given. What’s that rustling in the corner?  Is that an extension cord I left lying around when this was my work shop, or has a snake come out of the woods to hibernate? You could grow mushrooms down here.

That sound… It’s organic, disturbing and delightful. It’s both melodic and discordant and stands with anything so far from Green Day.This band is aggressive, loud (the amps are at 11, never fear) and packed with talent. Hailing from Nashville, these guys play hard rock in the Indie style so reminiscent of the early ‘90s. Shane Ball, Darin Ledford, Kevin Torbett and Joey Campbell are The GoldRoom and they write lyrics that are both angry and pleading, dark and as rough around the edges as the sound they incorporate into the music itself. “Es Verdad” is one of my favorites and probably comes under the heading of hard  pop. “My Darling” is another favorite with it’s almost tribal, hypnotic delivery as they work their selves around an ascending scale that seems like it is clawing its way out of the damp earth only to find it was more comfortable residing in that cave, that grave.

“My Darlin”g Performed by The GoldRoom

It’s visceral, its dark, their reality whistles a different tune. Time and space are wadded up like old gym socks.There is a light inside their music, but it is a far cry from the light that we all know and love... it is the light by which the reaper reads his list, it is a sound that says wake up there is a monster under your bed. And it is addictive. Give ‘em a listen. But stay out of basements when you do.

 

The Dirty Lowdown

Copyright © 2011 Robert Carraher All Rights Reserved