After American Music Club resurfaced from a ten-year hiatus with the 2004 release of “Love Songs for Patriots,” the band has been occupied with an intense European tour and the making of a new, highly-anticipated record.
American Music Club launched their career in San Francisco in 1982. During the last 15 years, the Bay-area boys have released eight adored records and made a bold re-location to sunny Los Angeles to record their newest effort, “The Golden Age.”
The disc is a collection of 13 smoky, slow-tempo songs strongly reminiscent of Wilco’s newest record, “Sky Blue Sky.”
As a part of AMC’s relocation, mainstays Vudi and Mark Eitzel recruited two new band mates, Sean Hoffman (bass guitar) and Steve Didelo (drums). The two L.A. members make a valiant effort by creating a tight yet restrained sound. On the other hand, backbones Eitzel and Vudi deliver something more familiar to their die-hard fans. As lead vocalist, Eitzel naturally evokes his emotions to move listeners to despair or joy, while Vudi strums his beloved guitar.
In the past, AMC constantly struggled to define its sound. However after recent years of musical success, AMC continues to steer clear of categorizing its music into one genre. Utilizing musical freedom, AMC managed to effectively produce a record with two new band mates in a short amount of time.
Remarkable as this may seem, “The Golden Age” was recorded in only two months.
“We recorded as live as we could do without thousands of overdubs. There was a month of rehearsal and then a month of mixing,” said Eitzel when asked about the recording process.
In contrast to the quartet’s speed during recording, Eitzel began writing most of the lyrics two years ago. “Sleeping Beauty,” one of the tracks on “Golden Age,” may sound familiar to ardent AMC fans because it was released on Eitzel’s 2005 solo album, “Candy Ass.”
“Golden Age” is AMC’s most honest record to date. The band sticks to what it knows, producing uncomplicated pop-rock tunes about their hometown (“The Grand Dutchess Of San Francisco,” “All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco”). “Golden Age” is definitely a lover’s album in the best way possible. Standout tracks include “All My Love” and “The Decibels and The Little Pills.”
Though the record strays from having any form of a theme, it’s an easy listen that captivates from the first to the last track. It remains steadfast when delivering fragility and gorgeous melodies. “The Golden Age” somewhat parallels a Nickel Creek record but without the excessive bluegrass instrumentals.
It is tough to deny the new and vamped-up AMC record of its splendor. AMC hardly shows any signs of instability with this alluring pop record. It sounds just as solid (if not more) with the two new band members. The record’s scheduled release date is February 19. Meanwhile, catch AMC on their nation-wide tour this spring.
Joe Stahl can be reached at [email protected].
