Having gigged and played as somewhat of a collective for the last couple of years, Wellington’s Forcefields have now cemented their line up for long enough to write and record their debut album ‘Golden Walls Hotel’. And boy are we glad they did.
Recorded at Happy Bar in Wellington (with found sounds in Israel), shades of The Flaming Lips pervade, particularly in the way vocalist Paul Wedel’s lyrics are breathed rather than sung. This leads to a light and airy experience, where the listener catches snatches of ideas rather than overt messages. Added into the mix are Dinosaur Jr inspired crunchy guitars, interspersed with lilting electronics, cementing these guys within the nascent experimental Wellington indie sound (if there is such a thing).
Girls are mentioned a few times and the whole affair has a dark/light dichotomy, which is exemplified most during the album’s 1 – 2 punch of ‘Momentum’ and ‘Darling, please get out of that house’. The former a disbelieving treatise on society’s ‘disaster culture’; the latter hinting at bass player Jeremy Nolan’s previous endeavour, The Dukes Of Leisure. Other standouts include ‘100% True’ and driving opener ‘Hey American’.
At times you do wish the vocals were a little less processed, if only to grasp the concepts within some of the songs. Overall though, a solid release and one that should fortify Forcefield’s reputation for innovation and talent a solid release and one that should fortify Forcefield’s reputation for innovation and talent.
