Album Review: Gold

AJSCeleste Music may be a totally unique creator in the Aotearoa music scene. An extremely experimental songwriter crafting material from her home studio, her quirky blend of almost spoken-word lyricism and kaleidoscopic sounds fills a very specific niche. Whilst I can’t promise its appeal to be widespread, there will surely be some who can appreciate this inventive mind. 

Gold is a seven-track album of techno and synth pop beats. Bright keys and sound effects underscore each song. On Suspension and Momentum, a flurry of keyboard noises fill the track, from fizzing risers to distorted bass, whilst Success Success melds beachy percussion and guitars to the overall album’s spacey approach.

The songs bear lyrical promise, from a simple and sincere surrender to love on the opening track, to the ode to beautiful summers and romances on Sunrise Sunset. Across the board, AJSCeleste Music moves from dialogue-style performances to occasional unsettling whispers and birdlike calls. She speaks the language of self-healing, giving the record some thematic consistency.

However, Gold‘s main battle is that its vocal melodies rarely match its instrumentals. Whilst each section works on its own, together the contradicting rhythms and keys can be harsh to the ear. If this is an intentional choice, AJSCeleste Music has accomplished a very specific vision, but it mostly suggests the album needs some polishing, and perhaps collaboration from a wider variety of musicians to expand and improve.

Gold is best summarised by the lyric “do the polarity dance”. It’s frequently contradictory, both complex yet simple, overwhelming yet underbaked. But it’s a testament to the fact New Zealand music offers something for everyone, and respect is certainly earned for AJSCeleste Music’s commitment to the craft.