Maid of Gold

This album is a bizarre and challenging blend of effects, styles, and eerie feel that seeps into the listener early on. The introductory Table of Context has a haunting, desolate quality to it with samples slowly coming to the fore. It finally settles into a subdued jazz feeling before leading into the title track, a slightly {trip-hop} number in the vein of Massive Attack or Portishead. The tandem of Sixtoo and Stigg of the Dump experiment a bit more on Things Told, bringing to mind UNKLE as it ambles along with a distant {hip-hop} beat. In some instances though, it's more electronic dawdling than creativity, especially on the ambient-tinted Paper, Boxcutter, Rock. There are some stronger tracks though, particularly the off-kiltered tempo of Duppies, creating an ominous vibe from the onset. But perhaps the highlight is the minimal yet infectious rhythms and percussion laid out on Cracktivity. After a passable and melodic Herd Whispers, Villain Accelerate opt for a brasher, harder urban sound on Rookie Card. One problem with the album though is how some tracks seem close replicas or either earlier or preceding songs such as Worried.Look and Pitch.Control, the latter being a tad edgier. The first non-instrumental tune is Surgery, a refreshing change that should be placed lower in the track listing. A mellow When I Was Your Age concludes the record. ~ Jason MacNeil, All Music Guide