Upon listening to Golden Vessel for the first time, I must admit he is a talented producer, mustering up a solid contribution to the ever-growing genre of Australian chilled electro. Right/Side is a very easy listening EP - lots of soft synths and mellow vocals. The timing of the release is excellent as it begins a bit cold and dark but gradually develops a warm and uplifting sound in its second half, mirroring Sydney’s climate at the moment.
The album takes you on a journey of emotionality, the lyricists frequently touch on notions of falling in love and close intimacy. Sometimes it strays off and touches on notions of despair and heartbreak, particularly in the repetition of “you know that I care, you do what you want” in the track "Right/Side". The husky weathered voice feels like a broken man is prostrating himself for a partner, with little reward for his tribulation. Its strangely gleeful in this wallowing, as the ambient keyboards and uplifting synths inject a ray of positivity to a glum situation, the recently heartbroken could medicate themselves with such a track.
From there the album’s tone shifts and starts to elevate with the following track "Daylight," premised on intimacy shared in the darkness of night. The track battles to prevent daylight as it’ll purge what was built the evening prior. The album is nicely broken up by a voiceless track that creates an interlude to the second last song; Golden Vessel continues with loving themes in "Tell the-Girl".
The soft and gentle voices cast my mind back to the innocence of high school crushes, reminding me of the strong and inexplicable desires developed towards class mates. An emotional gradation throughout the song is achieved by the slowly building synth chords, while the jingling chimes adds a splash of pre-teen innocence and an all-consuming crush.
The final track is sure to be the most popular, its warm, kind and uplifting, contrasting nicely with the darkness and heart break of the opening tracks. Golden Vessel has ended the journey of emotionality at the garden of Eden. "Less~More" has calming female vocals and a twinkle about its sound that would be best enjoyed on a warm spring afternoon within the confines of a secluded suburban garden, teaming with butterflies, flowers and honey bees.
Overall it’s a solid EP; There isn’t much that brings it down. Equally, there isn’t much that brings it up. It’s far from genre pioneering and it’s very easy to know the target market will be young triple J listeners, who are also big fans of Flume and Chet Faker. Right/Side sticks to a safe and well-trodden sound, of chilled electro with soft drum kicks doing little to cause offence and dreamy vocals that carry milquetoast messages. Within that framework, I must say Golden Vessel has done a good job.
Right/Side is out on digital formats on Friday September 29th. Golden Vessel is opening for The Kite String Tangle at Oxford Art Factory on October 7th and 8th.
