SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GOLD LEADER – GOLD LEADER

GOLD LEADER
GOLD LEADER
COLOR RED

Hailing from Denver, Gold Leader has dropped their impressive debut, eponymous record. Gold Leader is a collection of instrumental songs that teeters between funk and jazz, giving the band a modern and freshly cinematic sound following nearly a decade of singles released since 2019.

Living up to its title, “Alarm Clock” slowly opens the album with a gradual crescendo, playing off of the motifs that will blossom in full upon the start of the following song, “Bedhead.” Lead by a vibrant horn line amid lush keys, percussive guitars, and a highly tight rhythm section, “Bedhead” serves as magnificent introduction to the band while setting expectations for what is to come from the album. The track grooves hard and the arrangement slowly builds with each passage, demonstrating a level of refinement and taste among the band as “Bedhead” escalates towards a length run of solos, allowing for the keys to step forward. This refrain makes a return on the all-too-brief interlude, “Pass The Paper,” and again on the hazy “Pump The Breaks”, demonstrating a greater level of conceptualization towards the LP format and its track listing.

Over the course of a dozen songs, Gold Leader showcase their performance, songwriting, and attention to production and arrangement. The band, as a unit, are exceptionally tight as they navigate the various turns and moods across the album. As individual musicians, everyone shines not only for what they play, but how they approach balancing what appears to be calculated arrangements amid passages that naturally allow for improvisation. Additionally, the tones – the warmth from the horns and the range from the guitar and keys – is a highlight, but props must be paid to the drums; in addition to the incredible Dilla- and Stubblefield-inspired grooves and the myriad of little touches, the subtle bounce of the kick, the crack of the snare, and the slosh of the hats make for some of the nicest sounding drums I’ve heard in a minute – I see you bro! From the cinematic narrative behind “Heist/Escape”, the effortlessly cool “Buttah Notes”, the off kilter “Stay! (GoGo Away)”, and the mean crunch of “Mandolin Delorean,” Gold Leader is without a moment of weakness.
Gold Leader is a record that is greatly indebted to the revival of sounds and styles pioneered by Daptone Records in the last two decades; however, rather than attempt to recreate the sounds of Motown or Muscle Shoals, Gold Leader has emerged with a slick and snappy sound that is as modern as it is distinct. On their debut record, Gold Leader establish themselves as top notch players and songwriters, while further separating themselves from their peers, something especially challenging to do today amid the growing wave of instrumental jazz-funk fusion ensembles.

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