Petter & The Pix - Good As Gold
Review by Jack Foley
PETTER & The Pix are a super-group of sorts and they’re really rather wonderful!
Comprised of Swedish brothers Petter and Pontus, as well as band members from Mum, Gusgus and Lykke Li, Petter & The Pix exist to deliver sonically and emotionally layered music that embraces everything from Smile-era Brian Wilson to Mumford & Sons inspired folk, with a little American sun and Afrobeat bounce thrown in.
Hence, debut album Good As Gold is a veritable treasure trove of musical styles that offers sonic satisfaction of the highest order.
Album opener and lead single Never Never is a classic case in point, an instantly appealing head-rush anthem-in-waiting composed of euphoric “la la la” vocal surges, hypnotic guitar riffs, dreamy vocals and a seriously good vibe. It’s every bit as instantly infectious as the likes of Peter, Bjorn & John’s Young Folks.
The pace slows down, however, for the mercurial In The End Of The Day, which does – as its PR suggests – come across as an imaginary sound-off between Mumford & Sons and Brian Wilson. It’s utterly soul enriching.
The acoustic folk of Simon & Garfunkel and more contemporary singer-songwriters such as Joshua Radin is evident in the dusky slow-burner Sit Down With me, which lasts for an all too short minute and a half, while Four Walls maintains the folk vibe with some lush melodic backdrops and some hazy, psychedelia-strewn vocals.
Title track Good As Gold, on the other hand, is deliriously upbeat and dripping with sunshine melodies, while there’s a ’60s era pop-rock sound surrounding the snappy guitar licks of Stuck In Between… another of the album’s firm highlights.
The darker side of the band is demonstrated on Momentarily Lost, which again changes the sonic structure of proceedings and underlines Petter & The Pix’s diversity, while Backyard arrives with the distinct whiff of Californian surf and sand, as well as acts such as The Shins.
The album closes out with the similarly vibrant On The Line and the lo-fi comedown of Last Time, which offers a pensive, thought-provoking slice of desolation that demands repeat listening.
But then the same can be said for the whole album. It’s so darn good that you’ll want to keep revisiting it.
Download picks: Never Never, In The End Of The Day, Last Time, Good As Gold, Stuck In Between, Backyard
Track listing: