Guv “Warmer Than Gold”
Ben Cook, you know, the guy behind Young Guv and those power pop albums, has switched things up a bit. He is calling himself just Guv now for this new album ‘Warmer Than Gold’. He went back to London last year, hanging out in pubs not too far from Brixton where he grew up and the whole trip got him thinking about stuff for this record.
I think it feels like he is trying for that brit-pop, slow core vibe here. Kind of swinging away from the bedroom stuff on GUV IV from a couple years back. There are some grooves that stick in your head, sure. But overall, it is less about those tight power pop songs we used to get from him. The opener “Let Your Hands Go,” it reminds me of the Charlatans or The Happy Mondays. Then “Blue Jade” and “Thorns in My Heart,” those have more guitar sounds, akin to The Cure or Stone Roses in spots. “Out of this Place” and “Oscillating” are great little tunes you can really groove to. The tracks that lean on rhythm, they feel kind of basic sometimes, like he was just messing around without pushing it further. Still pretty enjoyable, and we hope Guv comes back to those melodic earworms a bit more. Despite that, it remains Highly Recommended.
The Format “Boycott Heaven”
Next to Adam Levine (Kara’s Flowers, Maroon 5) it can be argued that the most successful power pop alumni from the early aughts would be Nate Ruess. Not only did Ruess score big with his Grammy winning trio, Fun, but he’s written or worked with tons of modern pop superstars (Ke$ha, Pink, etc). But things all started for Nate and instrumentalist Sam Means with The Format in 2001. And now he’s back in a reunion of sorts, and they have not lost a step.
Sounding more polished than earlier efforts, Nate starts with “No Gold at the Top,” a foreboding guitar riff with harmonic hum, that builds to a dramatic screaming end. “Holly Roller” is another solid track that marches along to a chorus about the fleeting effects of fame. But “Shot in the Dark” and “Right Where I Belong” really shows his perspective as an adult, all this from the dude who wrote “We Are Young.”
For longtime Format fans, ‘Boycott Heaven’ might sound unexpected, as the album leans harder, louder, and more openly emo than anything in their catalog, with Nate Ruess embracing renewed intensity. Sam Means’ melodic instincts still shine, Ruess’ voice still cuts, and the songwriting sticks. This album proves the return mattered, and it earns its place alongside their best work. Highly Recommended.