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 06 September 2008 07:03 BST

Jacob Golden makes a connection

Wednesday, 23 Jan 2008 14:04
Jacob Golden: He could be the soundtrack to your life.
With his latest album Revenge Songs garnering praise from the British press and benefiting from superb word-of-mouth, Jacob Golden may well be the early 21st century’s answer to Daniel Johnston and Simon and Garfunkel.

inthenews.co.uk's Lee Davis met the engaging Californian singer-songwriter on the eve of his UK tour.

As dusk gathered over the capital, I was introduced to Jacob Golden in the basement lounge of a central London bar. Immediately you're struck by his warmth and his love of music, as he sipped coffee following a round of press interviews.

Lean, amiable, in his early 30s and quietly driven, he is a genuinely nice guy. Originally from the Bay Area of San Francisco where he developed an interest in breakdancing, it was a family move to the forests of northern California that kick-started his creativity, as Jacob says with a smile: "There was nothing to do but get into my imagination."

His creativity was ably assisted by his exploration of his mother's wide-ranging record collection. As he says: "She loved all the great vocal groups of the 60s, particularly Simon and Garfunkel and the Mamas & the Papas."

And diversity is the key to Jacob's music as Revenge Songs illustrates with its stunning blend of folk, rock and melancholy-tinged Britpop given an American twist. The artist said: "I go through phases - a 60s phase; an electronica phase; a hip-hop phase.

"When I was writing this album I was listening to left-field hip-hop artists. There's a lot of wordplay in their work, and these guys are the beatniks of today."

Jacob adopted the approach of these artists when he wrote Hold Your Hair Back, a brilliantly sensual lullaby, and Out Come The Wolves – the new single out on March 3rd with the beautiful Zero Integrity as the B side.

"If you listen to hip-hop artists they cite other artists and the world around them, I've tried to emulate that," Jacob said.

Revenge Songs has a definite 60s feel to it, however, and Jacob acknowledges that the music of that tumultuous decade will always colour his work.

"As a vocalist, it's Nina Simone who is a major influence, the way she captures pure emotion in her voice. I consider her to be one of my great vocal teachers," he said.

And his love of Nina Simone's style is evident throughout the album yet it is most notable on Love You; a smoky, Latin-edged track that cries out to be included in a Tarantino movie.

Jacob also draws inspiration from travelling and the singer-songwriter cites the American east coast in particular. It was this part of America that he toured last year playing 'living room shows' in the homes of fans to no more than 40 people at a time, and he said: "You make an unbelievable, lifelong connection with those people.

"There's a train from Boston to Washington DC and you see very poetic cities on the east coast. A mix of beautiful nature and decrepit old buildings. I'm from California, you don't get that mix there. It's all very temporary, like a lot of America."

Experimenting with sound factors largely in Jacob's work. He enjoys the natural acoustics of underground car parks among other places. He said: "I love the idea of making modern field recordings."

He often carries a digital recorder with him and will lay down a bit of a harmony in one place and combine this with a recording made while in a friend's house, and Jacob said: "Later, I'll put all these elements together to get a unique sound."

"Maybe it comes from listening to musical micro-genres. People that take field recordings – the sounds of nature and work them into ambient recordings. I write songs; I sing, but I like to turn it outside out, approaching it in a different way."

Jacob's latest album Revenge Songs actually started out without a proper label behind it and received its initial groundswell of support from being sold via the artist's website.

Then two conversations helped the album's progress. The first, with David Kosten of Faultline, who provided the financing to fine-tune Jacob's demos.

The second followed an acoustic performance in a LA hotel room which convinced Chrysalis Music's Jeremy Lascelles, from the company who brought Ray LaMontagne to people's attention, that Jacob was a talent worth investing in.

Revenge Songs was released in October and he said that it's starting to blossom in the UK, saluting Britain's forward-thinking music fans.

"I like the fact that the album becomes part of someone's life. That, for a while, a soundtrack to their life," he said.

The forthcoming single Out Come The Wolves continues to receive support from Radio 1's Zane Lowe and Johnnie Walker on Radio 2. Recently, Jacob recorded his first UK TV appearance for MTV2's Spanking New series of sessions, to be broadcast in January.

Jacob hits the road in January and February with his tour taking in London Roundhouse Studio on the 25th; Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire (27th); Manchester Night And Day (28th); Leeds Brudenell Social Club (29th); Nottingham Bodega (30th); Nottingham Soundhaus (1st Feb); Portsmouth The Cellars (3rd); Exeter Phoenix (4th) and Bristol Louisana (5th).

Looking forward to the tour Jacob said: "I never know what can happen. Every night is a bit different but I hope I make a connection with the audience. As for the future, I'll be writing and performing songs, and I'll see wherever it takes me."

Lee Davis

New single Out Come The Wolves is release on March 3rd.

Revenge Songs is out now: Click here to read the inthenews.co.uk review.

Click here for Jacob Golden's personal website

And click here to visit his MySpace pageEnd of story


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