Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf? Mr Golden, actually.
Starting out with barely audible, haunting guitar chords, and delicate strained vocals, this sweet single sits somewhere between singer-songwriter and indie cult status. This is marmite music - you either love it or hate it. The quiet vocals and solo guitar could be pretentious or preachy, and it’s in danger of tipping into slushy James Blunt territory. But there’s something that makes Jacob Golden different from the radio-friendly popstrels of recent years: the awkward, almost impenetrable lyrics that echo everything that’s wrong with modern day America in they eyes of a young and troubled man. It’s uncomfortable, and at times downright confusing listening, but certainly not boring. And as the music builds in intensity behind the emotional vocals, you find that you’ve been listening harder than you think. The intensity of the lyrics and understated music take you by surprise, especially if you view the whole singer-songwriter genre with the deep suspicion it deserves.
The B-side, ‘Zero Integrity’, is a short but sweet similar foray into the simple combination of acoustic guitar and quiet, thoughtful vocals. Again it stops short of overly soppy love song, and adds interesting lyrical twists that are more thought-provoking than musically groundbreaking. Simple it may be, but by no means easy listening; this is going to become a cult favourite amongst indie-kids nationwide.