January 22, 2010

Album review: Fool's Gold - Fool's Gold (Family)

All the high-life sounds, none of the passion

6 / 10 Like a west coast Vampire Weekend, this 12-piece LA group are in thrall to the potential of blending the sounds of Africa and beyond with a glossy and polite American pop sheen. It’s tempting, then, to see their moniker as a cheap attempt to deflect accusations that they’re pilfering colonialists raiding far-off lands. For their eponymous debut is high-life reinterpreted with a synth-pop twist, the occasional flourish of saxophone and, curiously, lyrics sung in Hebrew. While ‘Surprise Hotel’ and ‘Night Dancing’ make for postmodern magpie pop, there’s something curiously passionless about this record. 'Fool’s Gold' might mine a rich vein, but they rarely forge anything more than mere tourist trinkets.

Luke Turner

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