‘Versailles’ is the latest in a string of quality singles from London trio Gold Baby, each one a self-contained epic of careful musical crafting and inventive lyrics. Highlights have included ‘500/1’, a wistful time-spanning reflection where the delicate backing builds into a dense unforgiving repeated conclusion ‘…..bad dream, bad dream, this is just a bad dream…’. ‘Philadelphia’ has a restrained road movie pace, full of atmospheric words and including a catchy chorus featuring a name check for Jesús Vidaña (found adrift in 2006 having survived lost at sea for nine months).
‘Dogbone’ is an angry but honest dismissal at the end of a relationship acknowledging that ‘…..not the draw or the cut or the bruise in my gut….you’re no-one….’ over a constantly varying and dysfunctional guitar riff. As on all of these songs singer/songwriter Siân Alex twists the words and emotions inside out, pulling the listener into a vortex of imagery and juxtaposition, used to great effect in most recent track ‘Japanese Racehorse’. Here the music and words embrace each other in subtle low key verses and a stately anthemic chorus. If read as a poem it works very well, the music raises it to another level.
Now new track ‘Versailles’ is a pensive and mellow piece, with a part-acoustic backing competing to be quieter than the voice. The lyric of disconnection and regret is painfully drawn ‘……there’s barbed wire between us whenever we speak….we used to talk the stars out of the sky….and now I’m nervous about a few hours passing by….’ to contrast yet complement the sheer beauty of the music where the dreamy guitars drift in and out, surprisingly bursting into an almost solo near the end. I enjoy the lyrical games of ‘…..what are we but strangers now forcing conversation? what are we but strangers now forcing conservation of our little Versailles?….’ and overall the song lures, beguiles and completely wins you over.
Hopefully a full EP will be released in early 2021…
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