Review- Gold Dust Lounge CD

Gold Dust Lounge is a Miami combo floating somewhere in between surf and exotica, very much in the style of Nomad era Aqua Velvets. They let the music do the talking, mostly in private conversation, and wallow in lush guitar tones, rather than bluster. I’m guessing they have a full time percussionist as each song has creative rhythms going on, which suits the understated drums. The addition of violin on a couple songs is unique and fresh to my ear. Some of the songs meander a little long for my short attention span, but overall the CD (their third) holds my attention, and is a refreshing change from the aural assault of most modern surf.

“Desperado,” thankfully not an Eagles cover, has a pristine, clean Fender tone. Not wet enough to be surf, and not quite spaghetti, but with a moving and memorable melody. On “No Doze,” the guitar gets a little crunchier and I get the “Mexican Radio” vibe, and it features a battery of percussion and sound effects. This track is a lot of fun. The noir of “Barfly” is the lone vocal, is needle deep in the Tom Waits vein. “Darkest Hour” has an elegant melody that calls The Pixies “Velouria” to mind. I love the violin counterpoint on this track. “Storm Surge” is a minimalist spy-tango. “Better Worsens” keeps the guitars clean and moody, the drums shuffle lightly as sweet background vocals sweep across the mix. The violin returns on “Indian Key” working in tandem and counterpoint with the guitar, and I dig the “Popcorn” keys buried behind the bridge. The last song is a second version of “Storm Surge”, losing the drums altogether, and bringing the bongos to the fore, with steel drum percussion as the waves roll in. Tres tropicale.
Gold Dust Lounge Website
Gold Dust Lounge on Bandcamp