October Gold
Bridge of the Sun
Alderbrooke Records
Street: 07.16
October Gold = Iron & Wine + Bon Iver
A folk duo from Canada, the band October Gold is made up of Kit Soden and Aliza Thibodeau, but for this album, they brought in over 20 other musicians to help create a more symphonic sound overall. This album is also a concept album, as a lot of material, such as the lyrics, are taken from poetry featured in Steven Erikson novels. There is a lot of beautiful material throughout this record, as both Soden and Thibodeau are strong musicians, and Thibodeau’s powerful violin playing stands out in the majority of songs. However, the repetitive themes and sounds on the album become a bit overwhelming, and would greatly benefit from more diverse arrangements. Nonetheless, this is an intense piece of music, and the strong musicianship of October Gold is put on full display. –Jory Carroll