Altsounds - Black Gold - Detroit [Single]

Black Gold like fucking with you. This pair of Brooklyn based boys are determined to make whatever kind of noise they want and for any pigeon holes to be damned. Sure enough they aren't the first band to kick against industry expectations but the difference here is Black Gold do so with apparent skill and ease. Slotting comfortably into the bleep, guitar, disco or whatever mold as and when they like.

Taken from their debut album "Rush", 'Detroit' is a well defined piece of guitar pop with a suitably driving upbeat tempo and sumptuous, near feminine vocal on the achingly radio friendly chorus. Oddly enough it starts off sounding like 'I Was Made For Loving You' by frigging KISS but then quickly soon sorts itself out. 'Detroit' is pleasing, yet forgettable. The remix by Shark Attack is more interesting to me with its Hot Chip flavour and dirtier all round feel.

'Breakdown' is the most likely tune to give them enough musical merit to be able to support Scissor Sisters. Disco hooks and glitter as far as the ear can hear. I can almost see the the mushroom cloud coming up from Calvin Harris' head as it explodes in frustration at not having written this one. 'Breakdown' also appears on "Rush" so you wont miss out if you decide to plump for the album over this single release.

Also present is the sunny West Coast sound of 'Picture Show', which is thrown in here as a B side. Usually this would be a lot of breaking bands pièce de résistance. With an intro more akin to 'Kid A' than anything else, there are eyebrows raised all over the place when the guitar kicks in to reveal a shimmering chorus forged with solar flares. Proper nice and my pick of the bunch.

So there isn't anything new to be found here per se, but when old ideas are done this well then it doesn't matter. Black Gold have spent the last three years putting themselves out there and I can't help but think they are now set to become a firm fixture from 2009 onwards.