SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DOPE LEMON – GOLDEN WOLF

DOPE LEMON
GOLDEN WOLF
BMG MUSIC

Dope Lemon is Angus Stone, from Australia. He is one half of the sibling duo, Angus and Julia Stone, who have made some great folk-rock albums. Beginning in 2016, Stone has been recording as Dope Lemon and Golden Wolf is his fifth album under that moniker. As with his other albums, Golden Wolf is difficult to describe and to fit into one single genre. There is a lot going on with the music and lyrics of this album. Each song is like an independent island, but they are all gathered together under one name or umbrella. And Dope Lemon makes it all work.

The album opens with a tribute of sorts in “John Belushi”, a straight folk-rocker song. It is a catchy song with a melody that acts like an earworm. It is beautifully arranged, with a hint of the 1980s while still being very contemporary. This is followed by a more electronic dance song, “Sugarcat” which has a great groove and manages to bring other eras of music to mind, while staying very current. “Electric Green Lambo” is straight ahead R & B, which is done extremely well.

Elsewhere, he explores other genres and subjects with songs like the title track. “Golden wolf, take us higher.” Dope Lemon sings. And that is the beauty of the album and his writing. A song like, “Yamasuki – Yama Yama” shouldn’t fit right, musically, after “Golden Wolf”, and yet Dope Lemon makes it work. The use of synthesizer in the song is wonderful, and once again, great layering of vocals brings a lot to the table.

As I said, Golden Wolf is a difficult album to explain. There is psychedelic funk and R & B with a dab of the 1980s. He layers sounds and creates unique and different, yet accessible music. With Golden Wolf he has created his own universe, and some parts of that universe works better than others. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. This is the album that Dope Lemon wanted to make, and on those grounds, it is very successful. There is a lot to listen to and absorb. Listen to this album a few times and give it some time and you will be rewarded.

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