CD REVIEW: GOLDEN PALACE – A Little Rock n’ Roll and Touch Me There EP

Shane | 21 August 2015 | Reply

CD REVIEW: GOLDEN PALACE – A Little Rock n’ Roll and Touch Me There EP
Relectric Records
2004 and 2008, re-released 2015
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar

7 1/2/10 and 7/10

A four-piece from Charleston, South Carolina, Golden Palace have recently reconvened for their first gigs in six or so years, in honour of these two releases from 2004 and 2008 respectively getting the remastering treatment.

A Little Rock n’ Roll is first up: a full length album that kicks off with the remarkably Thin Lizzy-ish Is It A Crime? Diamond Night’s album Popsicle came out around the same time and boasted a very similar sound – maybe it was in the air in 2004? It’s certainly a shame we didn’t hear of Golden Palace when they first released this.

Summer Song is a bouncy track which takes a hint of reggae and welds it onto a sixties sound that is half garage band and half doo wop pop R&B stomp, putting the cherry on the cake with an irresistible melody that will haunt your beach-babe dreams.

Sheets Of Fire is a heavy boogie with everyone in the band – Alex Goss on guitar, keys & vocals, Jo Kimbrell on guitar, Johnny Emmet on drums and bassist Graham Spees – tearing one off, before the Sixties pop rock of the title track.

I Wanna Be In Love is another Lizzy-esque track, while Paradise echoes the overall feel of the album, standing out of time in a place where ‘60s pop collides with ‘70s rock. Right Now throws another reggae vibe into that mix and by this time we know for sure that Golden Palace are doing this because they love it.

With a title like Wild Irish Rose, you’d expect more of the Thin Lizzyisms, but all three of the last tracks are something different again – more the sound of Golden Palace having slow-cooked all the previous influences into one tasty mix that is more… them.

Fast forward several years to the Touch Me There 7-track EP and there’s been a few changes. For starters, gone are the snazzy suits on the inside cover – these guys are now a five-piece with the addition of guitarist Andy Adkins and Goss’s focus on vocals, and not-so-smart casual is the new dress code.

Opener With Or Without Your Love still has a hint of Thin Lizzy to it – but mostly in the coincidental sound of Goss’s vocals. Musically the ‘60s pop has been left behind and the ‘70s rock embraced more fully.

Like Summer Song from their first release, Summer Heat on this record is irresistibly catchy and upbeat. Holy City Skank takes a ska-meets-punk-meets-Thin Lizzy tack which is wholly unique, whereas From The Inside Out boasts a more ‘70s punk aesthetic, bring to mind The Clash or The Damned.

Jessica Thompson closes the EP in hilarious-yet-creepy style. A sort-of acoustic comedy number with ‘60s backing vocals about stalking a schoolmate on Facebook, it sees the guys having a (hopefully) tongue-in-cheek moment of fun.

These two releases are quite different from each other, and musically they are all over the place – but somehow Golden Palace’s musical skills, glorious harmony vocals and obvious eclectic musical loves make them both work, and with their remastering sounding great, it’s better-late-than-never time to get familiar with them.