Goldfinger- self titled

Goldfinger were formed in 1994. This self-titled debut album was released in 1996, a year before Hang Ups.

I appreciate that punk-ska is not meant to be a high-fidelity endeavour, but the first impression of Minds Eye is the awfully hollow snare sound. It remains throughout the album, but thankfully you somehow get used to it. And a catchy chorus also helps to make amends.

Apparently, Here In Your Bedroom is Goldfinger's most famous song, yet somehow it passed me by. And despite the occasional ska section, musically it leaves me cold. But somehow the narrative has snuck up on me over the years. I have no idea why, but I'm now also a huge fan of it.

As per Frenzal Rhomb, the thrashy style of Only A Day and Nothing To Prove do nothing for me. Add a touch of self-depreciating humour though, and the resulting The City With Two Faces becomes comedy gold! Anxiety is also not really my cup of tea, however the rousing chorus is quite irresistible.

The audio quality has some issues: non-existent bass, drums that sound like a plastic kids toy, muddy vocals, guitars that are too loud and a harsh top-end. So it takes a lot to look past these flaws and enjoy the songs.

At this point, one might be wondering why I actually purchased this album. Well, Answers is the elephant in the room. It uses a unique- and brilliant- combination of rocksteady and punk-rock. Highlights include... umm... absolutely everything about the song! The wonderful layering, the silky horn lines contrasting the menacing groove, a great bridge and an ultra-catchy chorus. It all adds up to one of my all-time favourite songs. And, given the rest of the album, it begs the question: where on earth did this magic come from??

The brilliance of Answers is both a blessing and a curse for this album. It means that- like Frenzal Rhomb- I didn't really know what I was signing up for when buying this album. So it's a tough gig for the rest of the album to live up to this false pretence.

It's not their only attempt at the ska genre, though. King For A Day is a thoroughly unconvincing reggae, often sounding quite similar to Sublime, but not a patch on their brilliance. On the other hand, My Girlfriend's Shower is just a cheeky little interlude, but the reggae is fantastic. Pictures has its moments, such as a great horn line and energy. But it jumps all over the place, so it is really hard to get into the groove.

I'm quite a fan of the Dropkick Murphys' shanty-punk style, and Anything is a great execution of it. On the other hand, Mable feels similar to Blink-182 but without that crucial cheekiness. And on the other other hand, Miles Away is a solid punk-rock cover.

Favourite songs

Here In Your Bedroom, Answers, The City With Two Faces, My Girlfriend's Shower Sucks, Miles Away

I diggit?

For Answers alone: yes. Initially I didn't really rate the rest of the album, but it has slowly grown on me. Just like one would expect from such a fine wine, naturally.