Singer-songwriter Jacob Golden has unleashed his stash of break-up songs, and it appears his heart is still aching. The 11 sad tunes that make up Revenge Songs, Golden’s mighty debut, cover a lot of ground, but mostly lament on a relationship that’s “not around anymore.” And that’s putting it lightly.
I can only think of a few albums that measure up to the starkness of what Golden has accomplished, Ryan Adams’ Love is Hell being probably the best comparison. The deceiving happiness on the album’s best effort, “On A Saturday,” are the distant hand claps that give the song an extra boost, but even those are probably the defeating sounds of a lone man sitting in a corner, in a moment of wholehearted denial. The emptiness of the closing acoustic “Zero Integrity,” sums up the core of the album when Golden sings, “I’ve got no integrity to cling to/I don’t have myself a back-up plan.” Brutal and true.
Revenge Songs doesn’t need a back-up plan; in fact, you may want to take a short break between “Shine a Light” and “Revenge Song.” It’s an exhausting trip through honesty and what it means to love someone—a surprising gift from Golden that will reward your ultimate attention.
Singer-songwriter Jacob Golden has unleashed his stash of break-up songs, and it appears his heart is still aching. The 11 sad tunes that make up Revenge Songs, Golden’s mighty debut, cover a lot of ground, but mostly lament on a relationship that’s “not around anymore.” And that’s putting it lightly.
