Album Review: Gossling - Harvest Of Gold

Much like its cover art, Gossling's debut LP, Harvest Of Gold, bursts with colour. Songbird Helen Croome's catchy collection of pop tunes marks a progression from her usual folk roots to an experimentation with ambient electronica and disco: in many ways a rhythmic celebration of her long-awaited full-length release.

Alternating between a brooding low register and delicate top notes, opener, Big Love, is a sonic burst of vocal and musical energy that is maintained from the album's beginning to end. It's very easy to get swept up in the singer-songwriter's joyous pop and forget about her velvet smooth set of pipes, six of the ten tracks easily pleasing any mover and shaker ready for a dance.

However, it's a completely different story for the four remaining songs, touching as they do on the sentimental and harking back to what fans fell in love with in 2009. While the production of Harvest Of Gold's pop contingent is to be commended, surely nothing can compare to the symphonic beauty of Pulse, its boisterous orchestral styling fronted by Croome's intimate and innocent storytelling. Similarly, record closer, A Lover's Spat, is pure in its simplicity, and duet, Songs Of Summer, featuring Sparkadia's Alex Burnett, pairs femininity with a deep masculine vocal in an effective tale of lost love. But it's vocal masterclass Vanish that hits completely new heights, the response to the tragic death of Jill Meagher tearing its way into your heart and erupting, making those dancefloor offerings seem anti-climactic in comparison.