Gary Steel“THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY” – A SHORT SERIES OF 2014 ALBUM REVIEWS THAT NEVER SAW THE LIGHT OF DAY, FOR SOME REASON.
REMEMBER THAT ONCE popular – and hugely irritating – line “it’s all good”? Well, it isn’t.
For every great album there are probably a thousand mediocre attempts, and just as many outright failures. Golden Curtain, despite the polite reviews you may read elsewhere, belongs in the latter category.
A Hawkes Bay-based trio comprising former members of Grand Prix and Garageland, they’re sandwiched right between mundane and atrocious.
On their second album (how on earth did they get this far?) they cover up their humdrum songs with sheets of jangly guitar that, instead of rippling graciously, are horribly tinny and tonally monochrome.
It’s possible that they think they’ve taken their sound from The Byrds, but that comparison is odious: Dream City never gets close to portraying a band with a sound, or any songs worth singing.
Speaking of which, Andrew McKenzie’s vocals are wisely submerged under the monotonous drone. What I find more shocking than the awfulness of this music is the fact that clearly, this group has impressed some reviewers. If you’re so inclined, go listen for yourself. GARY STEEL
Sound = 2.5/5
Music = 2.5/5
