William Fitzsimmons
Gold In The Shadow Shock/Nettwerk Productions Illinois-based singer/songwriter and inveterate folkie William Fitzsimmons had a rather unviable task in following up his stellar third album 'The Sparrow And The Crow' with something of equal weight and beauty. Thankfully, his fourth album proper (last year's 'Derivatives', an oddball collection of covers, remixes and b-sides, doesn't really count) does everything a good follow up record should and then some - it expands the musical palette whilst still exploring familiar territory, with a few pleasant surprises thrown in. Thematically 'Gold In The Shadow' continues along the same well-trod path of Fitzsimmons' earlier work; the man is coming up as a serious challenger to Damien Rice for the title of "the most heartbroken man in contemporary folk music". Musically however, there are all sorts of interesting things going on throughout. As is to be somewhat expected, the production is a little more layered, a little more complex - where on 'The Sparrow And The Crow' the acoustic guitar led beyond all else, here the instrumentation is denser. Processed electric pianos, sequenced drums and bouncing, delayed electric guitars abound. It's immediate from the moment that The Tide Pulls From The Moon rolls across your speakers with its circular guitar riff and hypnotic thudding drums; what could have been a remarkably straightforward pop song is transformed into something altogether more enigmatic. The real surprises, however, lie at the heart of the album, with a series of interlocking tracks that flirt with flourishes of electronica. The likes of Fade And Then Return and Psychasthenia point in an intriguing new direction for Fitzsimmons, redolent as they are with catchy basslines and beds of synths. Imagine The Postal Service on valium and you're part of the way there. Yet despite the fancy new toys 'Gold In The Shadow' never loses its intimacy or its impact - if anything the lush production adds to the delicate atmosphere of Fitzsimmons positively heartbreaking, persistently beautiful songs. Patrick Lang  |
Issue 524
Music
