Customer Reviews

Gold

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Gold has great innovative sounds that very few bands seem to care about doing anymore. This isn't the same old boring "drone" that many bands keep doing. For the newer fan I would first recommend "you brought us here" to give you an idea of the band's new sounds and developments. It certainly made me appreciate the sounds of Gold and Skies a Crossed Sky much more. Bethany Curve is a very refreshing change to the garbage that's out right now. Keep up the good music guys!

If you're one of those truly discriminating people who's still collecting shoegaze, this is a must-have. Forget the MBV/Slowdive comparisons; whoever made them must have read someone else's reviews instead of listening to the album in the context of the great shoegaze bands of the early 90s. If Bethany Curve sounds like any of those classic bands, it would be "Raise" era Swervedriver. On this album, their sound is extremely dense and much more in the vein of "rock" than "pop." Lot's of intense, controlled feedback and some of the nicest overdriven wall-of-guitar sound you'll find anywhere. On first listen, the vocals sound a little awkward, but the band's ability to really rock while never straying too far outside the bounds of shoegaze conventions more than make up for it. "Drag," "Fourteen," and "Pool and Shine" are the highlights--in fact, "Drag" is one of the most awesome 120 mph songs ever performed. If you're just getting into shoegaze, or if you're wondering if anyone is still productively working that vein of music, take heart and pick this up. I wouldn't want to part with any of my Bethany Curve albums, but this is my favorite. Be warned, though: it's rich, heavy stuff; Death Cab for Cutie fans should probably look elsewhere.

This record was such a treat, although the typical "rock n roll" fan wouldn't really get this type of music. The first song really blew me away with heavy guitars that crash down into a droney bliss of slow motion melody. My favorite track is "Fourteen" because it starts out with trance like ebow that just soars over the bass and guitar. The end of the song is the real mind blower with a chorus that simply amazes the listener.

This has all the elements of good music from dark to droney. Super good

If you like Slowdive, Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Loop.... you'll find this one of the real treasures in shoegazing scene

First, on a technical note. According to the back of the cd, the second song is called "Temporary," which, according to ITunes when one plays the cd, doesn't exist. This, of course, changes the titles of every song after the first, which is confusing, because, as is Bethany Curve's way, to the best of my knowledge, none of the songs actually contain the name of the title.

That being said, "Gold" is a terrific album, which is even better than the band's fine debut "Skies A Crossed Sky." As compared to "Skies," "Gold" is less murky and melancholy, and more accessible (other than the last 17 minute plus "song" - really experimental electronica - that easlly could have been about 10 minutes shorter or even omitted).

Track one, "Drag," is one of the band's best songs, and when the drums kick in, truly turns into something remarkable -- it reminds me of a gloomier version of New Order's "Crystal". The next track "Carnyval Sweet (I'm going to trust ITunes and assume that there is no song called "Temporary) also sounds like it could have been included as a weightier track in a late New Order album, which is interesting since BC sounded nothing like New Order on "Skies." With "Over and Out" we hear the familiar portentous and ominous sonic drenched music and mostly indecipherable lyrics that all us BC fans know and love. Doesn't the short instrumental "Fourteen" remind one of "Reverence" by the Jesus and Mary Chain? (that's the one that starts off "I want to die like Jesus Christ").

Almost as good as the incredible "Drag," is the poignant "Pool and Shine," which, with its twists and turns, must be listened to several times, and perhaps in different frames of mind, to be fully appreciated. The segment near the end almost sounds like a Smashing Pumpkins song circa "Machina." Following a few songs which showcase the band's experiment side, BC gives us another gem with the subtly powerful "Marasmus," surely a song that Robert Smith (The Cure) would appreciate. As I said above, BC didn't really need to end the album with a seventeen plus minute avant-garde piece, but there's no law that says you can't press the stop button after "Marasmus."

If you're lucky enough to have discovered "Bethany Curve," start with "Gold," and listen to it several times before forming an opinion. Trust me, if you like the shoegazer and/or Brit-Pop sound, you will like Bethany Curve. And check out the band "Voyager One," as well, which is sort of a cheerier version of Bethany Curve.

This is the ultimate in music. Just my humble opinion. -Bob Smith

I first heard their music on MTV, then bought this CD. Much better than I thought. It's good shoegaze.

Musically this CD is relatively sound. There are some wonderful guitar-scapes and very interesting forays into a more experimental sound, such as the final track. Most of it, however, seems simply to be an attempt at duplicating the sound of other bands, namely Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine, rather than being inspired by such music and taking it a step further. A good example of a band that did this well is the now defunct lovesliescrushing. Another problem is that the vocals are just plain garbage. Maybe the band should take a hint from Godspeed You Black Emperor and just take them out completely. Overall, it feels that the band lacks an artistic vision, and I would only recommend this CD to anyone who finds that this is not important, and is simply seeking to relive their showgaze past.

This is one of the most amateurish recordings I've ever heard. The vocals are terrible and the instrumentation is so badly mixed that it's just a mess. Maybe they are popular in their little local California town but they are not good enough to be considered world-class. The praise of this album just strikes me as some sort of joke, it's really bad.