Benjamin Golby
I Was Sound
Independent


The strength of folk music lies in the immediacy of the songwriting, and not the production. When Dylan went electric, the mob got out the pitchforks and their "sell-out" placards and started the heckling. Decades later, when songwriters seem more keen on releasing albums with higher-quality production and an array of instruments in lieu of interesting songwriting, I sort of wish they had finished him off. Benjamin Golby (of WA outfit New Rules For Boats) unfortunately doesn't hit a note wrong and worse, seems to confuse sounding effortless with comfortable boredom.

From the go, the strengths of this album lie in the production; guitar strings squeak and slide under fingers, banjos happily strum, and campfire vocals gather together in all the right places. Ha, Puritan! Drugged Am I! is the best example of this: if the harmonica was any louder, it'd probably be incredibly irritating. Instead, it becomes a key hook in an album severely lacking hooks; without any clear momentum or lyrical drive, the songs seem content giving off a quaint vibe.

It's dull and furthermore, it's infuriating. There's evidence that more interesting songwriting could be offered - outstanding little noises and glimpses of something interesting recur throughout the album, like the dissonant organ drone at the start of O Festered Vengeance, and the group vocal lines in the middle of the opening track. About halfway through the album, standout track The Nativity puts its best foot forward, combining a sea-sick chorus and dissonant strings, and uneasily threatening to throw everything entirely off-kilter. But the overwhelming majority of 'I Was Sound' is lazy where it wants to sound effortless, and reminded me of an ex-girlfriend that I wish had made more of an effort.

Jonno Smith