REVIEW: Goldheart Assembly - 'Wolves And Thieves' (Fierce Panda Records)

A strong debut from a fine new band. At the moment every hyped new act usually fall into the electro-alternative or the indie-folk category, and when Goldheart Assembly find theirselves in the latter, they always find a way of taking the song somewhere more exciting, unlike many of their counterparts. Opener 'King Of Rome' (already one of the highlights of 2010) is a hauntingly addictive, opening track full of wonderful harmonies and a fine way to open an impressive album. Elsewhere we get fragile yet uplifting melodies on the powerful lullaby 'Anvil', and the melancholic sigh of 'Last Decade'. Hypnotic traces of folk appear in the darkly infectious 'Hope Hung High' where Beatles-esque harmonies are spread across thunderous 60's pop on the album's most biting moment, and elsewhere other highlights include the excellent 'A Reminder' and the sparkle of the sweet melancholic 'Under The Water', a blissful moment. Meanwhile, the single 'So Long St. Christopher' is a definite grower and a song Pete Doherty would kill to have written. The final two tracks arrive in the form of the epic 'Carnival 4 (The Carrying Song)' and the beautiful haze of 'Boulevards'. Heartfelt, melodic and accomplished, 'Wolves And Thieves' is without a doubt one of 2010's best debuts. 8.2/10

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