Album Review: Go Rydell - The Golden Age

Some things in life are painfully short; like West Ham’s winning streak or holiday from work. In the same manner, 'The Golden Age' is too short. It’s great while its on, but being only a little over fifteen minutes long, it leaves you desperate for more. I guess the length of the album comes with the territory though, as Go Rydell play the kind of melodic hardcore brought to you by Kid Dynamite and Lifetime and bastardised by so many since.

Short, fast bursts of furious music with pop sympathies are the order of the day, an apt description for opener ‘MTA’. It’s all fast and furious from the outset until the singer hollers the line; "boxes of pictures from New York"; when the most bombastic bass line starts and the song morphs into a brief burst of melody.

Like the album itself, the song is over too soon. The next few tracks on this album are so short they hardly register, but the trio of tracks four, five and six are instantly likeable and form the most noteworthy part of the album. The fourth track, ‘A Little Too Raph’ provides the albums most melodic moment, a couplet of lines that form something akin to a chorus. When vocalist, Chris Scaduto sings "So if there are no bridges, I'll just walk on water", Go Rydell sound like The Movielife, and this brief foray into melody works so well.

There are more than a few decent sentiments expressed in the lyrics on 'The Golden Age', and ‘Suck Brick Kid’ contains one of the best ones. Talking of great nights with friends, and making your own stories, Scaduto sings; "These are those kind of nights that I will never mention to my kids. Because I want them to find out themselves". It’s simple statements like this that not only make Go Rydell so relatable, but also make the lyrics the best part of the album.

‘1955’ steps the lyrics game up even more, as the band display a bit of cultural awareness, referencing the start of the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery alongside a friends aspiration to be President. It is a tempestuous track that rages in an upbeat manner and closes the triplet of tracks which are undoubtedly the albums highlights.

With ‘The Golden Age’, Go Rydell have crafted a brilliant slice of hero-worshipping melodic hardcore that is neither clichéd or disposable. At times the album is brilliant, despite a few tracks hardly registering, however the overall feeling after the album is a longing for more. It will be interesting to see where Go Rydell go next.

4/5

'The Golden Age' by Go Rydell is available now on Black Numbers.

Go Rydell on MySpace.

Dan Issitt