Native Gold

Los Angeles alt-electronic act deliver a flawless three song EP that leaves us desperately wanting more.

For those currently hovering around their fourth decade of life and who were raised on counter-culture, there is a Venn Diagram (the one with all those overlapping circles) where our tastes seem to line up. Decades ago, some latched on to alternative and grunge for its energy and honesty. Another faction picked up on the electronic and all its splintered species, hypnotized by its ability to take them to the next level. Through the years, they slowly seeped into one another and now the alternative scene's anointed kings are five lads from Oxfordshire who have gleaned influence from both genres, ostensibly creating a genre of their own. Los Angeles duo, Native Gold have repeatedly garnered comparisons to Radiohead and they are indeed valid. The snappy drums, the mix of punchy and radiant synthesizers, the measured falsetto vocals. These are all staples of the veteran alt-darlings. Michael Weeks and Lee Young are taking the torch passed down by their musical forebears. With A Moon Shaped Pool feeling like a possible curtain-call for the UK band, younger bands are taking those musical tools and are making phenomenal music of their own. Like Elvis giving rise to a generation of rock n rollers. With only three songs on Native Gold's latest album, we can dive into each of them here. Let's begin!

Swirling chirps, jet landing bass synths and digitally processed falsetto open 'Fake the Smile'. Unsettling rising piano creeps in, the voice repeats: “When it feels good, it's good/When it feels right, it's right/When it feels wrong, it's wrong/It's true when you know, you know”. A rowdy, sputtering drum riff relentlessly drives it home as the chorus lyric gets caught in a loop like a rock in the spoke of a wheel.

The single 'Fickle' begins with those short clipped kicks every Radiohead fan knows well. The synths overload the track, gradually infecting the vocal track's initial piercing clarity. The chorus lyrics bring the instruments to a standstill. Helicopter electronics take the song in for the landing.

The EP's masterpiece is the final song 'Begun to Begin'. To me, this piece is the crystallization of their sound. A ripping synth lays down a hypnotic foundation. The vocals, though still up in falsetto have a bite to them. Then, like a brick to the back of your head, the full band blasts in. Guns a-blazing, the sludgy riff drones like the Beatles masterpiece 'I Want You (She's So Heavy). You get a brief reprieve with lofty bells before getting pulled down to earth once again with the heavy main riff.

Then, just like that, it's over. You can't help but listen again but you want more. Native Gold is perfect for Generation Y's current mood. They crave intelligent, progressive music and are baffled by the millennials' inane tripe. The Radiohead comparisons will be inevitable but without Elvis, there would be no Beatles. More music, please.