”Too many roads and not enough bridges, too many words and not enough pages” sing Goleine
Gospelly, folky. Soulfully silky.
Contemporary sounding but containing a strong jazz flavour chordally, this is new from Limburg, Netherlands band Goleine. The four piece offer strong vocal harmonies and a folky guitar undertow.
But it’s the quality of the self penned songs that most firmly suggests need to hear listening action right now most.
That’s mainly for the lyrics, the fine diction and the shape of the compositions.
The high up the fret guitar intro to ‘Moving Forward’ is an early moment. But the overall rural sound the whole concept is wrapped in matters more.
Cloaked in organic, genre melting settings Amsterdam born singer Charlotte Haesen’s vocal on ‘Hush’ is very arresting.
Their debut – beside Haesen members are pianist Mike Roelofs, double bassist-singer Peter Willems and Aachen born Maastricht educated guitarist-singer Philip Breidenbach whose soloing is best found on the Pat Metheny-esque ‘Buddha.’
Together for two years
It’s not an approach that involves hugely long improvisations. An outfit who have been together for approaching two years they’re still getting going really. But more tightly centred melodic strands surrounded by a largely guitar dominated and vocal prominent sound suggest a firm grip on the sound they want.
It’s a world away from the sort of pop and rock that dominates the charts. But if you’re a heritage Fleetwood Mac fan certainly it wouldn’t take much of a stretch of the imagination to buy into what’s here.
‘Dancing in the Dark’ (not the jazz standard of the same name or the Bruce Springsteen classic either) is lushly conceived in the chorus when a raining down of voices comes together. The blend touches the soul.
”Too many roads and not enough bridges, Too many words and not enough pages” is a great couplet.
Goleine – the name means harmony – are worth your time, then. There are at least three or four of these 12 songs that really work. These include ‘War in Me,’ the quietly orgasmic work song quality of ‘Yes! Yes’ that has impactful bass from Willems and fine vocal harmonies. And not to forget the hooky ‘Houston in the Blinds’ complete with some tasty Fender Rhodes – it’s in this marlbank playlist.
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