Fool's Gold

Fool's Gold

(IAMSOUND)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

Full disclosure: there are a dozen members of Fool’s Gold credited on this record, and all of them seemingly play with several other L.A. bands.  Point being: if you have your tiptoes in the L.A. music world, you probably won’t have to play Six Degrees to connect yourself to the band.  In my case, I’m a friend and colleague of keyboardist/backing vocalist Amir Kenan.  I’m aware that disclosures are very 20th century and old-school print journalism, but I feel better now nonetheless.  Moving on…

The two principals behind Fool’s Gold are guitarist/songwriter Lewis Pesacov (Foreign Born) and singer/songwriter Luke Top.  It’s been mentioned elsewhere, so the secret is out, but Pesacov especially is a major talent, and the rare guitarist (indie or otherwise) who has a signature sound and a defining vision.  He’s not the only one looking to Afropop for inspiration, of course, but he’s among the ones who have the best ideas about what to do with the inspiration beyond homage.  He’s also one of the pre-eminent feel-good forces around; it takes about three seconds for Fool’s Gold’s “Surprise Hotel” or Foreign Born’s “Early Warnings” to sail off on a sea of good vibes.

It’s probably true that Pesacov is more serious about African music than some of his contemporaries who huddle under the same umbrella – and, no, I’m actually not talking about Vampire Weekend here.  But Fool’s Gold isn’t a serious or ponderous record in the least; it’s an album for the body, not the brain.  For non-Hebrew listeners, this will be even more the case, as Israeli-born Luke Top largely sings in Hebrew.  But even if you’re privy to the translation, the lyrics largely seem like abstractions, intended more to provoke moods or interpretations. 

Jubilation rules the day for Fool’s Gold.  “Surprise Hotel” is as winsome an opener as imaginable, immediately making perfect sense of the band’s seemingly curious fusion of African pop music and expressive Hebrew vocals.  The track is anchored by effervescent riffs from Pesacov, and it even comes accompanied by the rare video that captures the mood of the song perfectly (a pool party featuring bikini babes, weird lizards, and old dudes spraying themselves with fizzy soda… oh, and the band).  Instead of just regurgitating that formula, though, Fool’s Gold mix things up as the album plays out, highlighted by the tranquil tribal chanting of “Ha Dvash” and the cacophonous, aptly titled “Night Dancing.”