Stream: Gold Star, ‘Chinatown’ and ‘Half the Time’

Kevin Bronson on June 11th, 2018

0

When Marlon Rabenreither set aside his psych-rock project the Sister Ruby Band in 2012, he sought songwriting inspiration at the Source, turning to the blues for the next incarnation of his music, Gold Star. His 2015 debut under that name, the aptly titled “Dark Days,” was well-crafted and deeply reverential, maybe too much so. There was even a song titled “Learning the Blues.” The 2017 follow-up “Big Blue” revealed Rabenreither’s growth as a sharp but world-weary storyteller — a reliable, relatable narrator of the woebegone.

Gold Star’s new album is titled “Uppers & Downers,” which should not be interpreted to mean that Rabenreither has turned to drugs to navigate his mood swings. “The idea was to achieve a deeper scope, a more dynamic range: slow songs, fast songs, less genre specific, capturing all the moods,” he says of the album, which is out Sept. 7 via Autumn Tone Records and was recorded at Valentine Studios, recently renovated by Rabenreither’s producer friend, Nicolas Jodoin. It features appearances by Tame Impala’s Cameron Avery (piano on “This Is The Year”) and Black Lips’ Cole Alexander and Zumi Rosow (on “Chinatown”).

“Chinatown” is the downer of the two songs unveiled with the album announcement, a woozy, swirling lament of somebody trapped in the “halls of the underground.” It contrasts with the bright bounce of “Half the Time,” a classic rocker à la Stones with an insouciant Rabenreither somehow staying above the fray. You can imagine him smiling at whoever is tickling those piano keys. It’s a far piece from “Dark Days” and a fine thing to have handy on a good day.

||| Stream: “Chinatown” and “Half the Time”