Weird Freedom

VINYL FORMAT. Weird Freedom, the second full-length from Brooklyn's Little Gold sounds like a celebration, and with good reason. It is the inaugural release for the band's own Loud Baby imprint, and it's Little Gold's first LP as a proper band. Shortly following his departure from folk feral enthusiasts Woods, Christian DeRoeck assumed the Little Gold moniker and in 2009 released the wayfaring bridge-burner On the Knife. In support of the record, DeRoeck toured for several months, picking up and putting down members along the way. Upon returning to Brooklyn in the winter of 2009, he teamed up with Brian Markham and Pat Broderick of psychedelic shredders Ancient Sky, and a new sound began to take shape. In stark contrast to the melancholic, country-tinged On the Knife, Weird Freedom is a rock band getting weird in their new skin. While On the Knife explored lonesome Americana themes of isolation and addiction, Weird Freedom strips away the overt sad-sucker aesthetic in lieu of fuzzy power pop more akin to DeRoeck's earlier work with Meneguar. Little Gold has sped and turned up, plowing through ten tracks in just over 30 minutes, including a frantic, feedback-drenched cover of "Oh, Dad!" an unreleased Wooden Wand gem. While the band is busy kicking the shit outta the barn, DeRoeck's cryptic lyrics take the shape of beautiful, multicolored earworms, inching their way into your heart. Thanks in equal part to Markham's easy-breezy basslines, washed-out harmonies, and Broderick's powerfully mellow drumming, Weird Freedom is a warm feeling, a summer record in every way. A record to blast while speeding with the windows down, singing along to tales of bike accidents, chainsaw surgery, and the joy of breaking up with someone you didn't really love.