The Sunday Times-
Pop CD of the week -ROBERT SANDALL
There is plenty to admire in this stunning debut by the LA-based singer-songwriter Jacob Golden: the tremulous aplomb with which his vocal manages to conjure and combine the best of Art Garfunkel, Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith; the intimate style of his lyrics, which makes his songs sound like partially overheard conversations; and his distinctive melodic signature, at once anthemically Californian, in a way that reminds you of the Mamas and the Papas or Paul Simon, and modern in its sense of fragility and foreboding. Golden’s world feels like it might just explode any minute. But what a beautiful place it is to hang around, and how astonishing that a record that employs little more than an acoustic guitar and a voice can sound so sophisticated in its layering of echo and choral effects. Made on a tiny budget, apparently, in bedrooms and underground car parks, Revenge Songs is a must-bu
