| The Golden Filter/Voluspa |
| Written by Matthew Horton |
| Thursday, 06 May 2010 16:24 |
 The pervading synth revival tends to take 1983
as a jump-off point; the moment Aussie/US duo The Golden Filter remember how these glassy sounds splintered in the 90s, where Saint Etienne made beautifully thin pop, icily modern in style, 70s AOR in melody. TGF don’t share SE’s facility for killer tunes, but singer Penelope Trappes is a vocal ringer for Sarah Cracknell and programmer Stephen Hindman knows his way around featherweight, airy disco. The Golden Filter’s debut album is bright, insubstantial, pretty and vague. In their careful hands however, the absentmindedness is a plus, filing Voluspa alongside The Beloved’s best work as ambient dance pop that’s pleasant to have around. It sounds like faint praise, but Voluspa is rather faint. At its least consequential, it sleepwalks through Lamb-by-rote numbers like Moonlight Fantasy and Stardust, weaving sunset symphonies that won’t disturb your reveries. But on top form - the Theme For Great Cities synth-play of Frejya’s Ghost, the chunky beats and ABBA chorus of Look Me In The Eye, the mournful warmth of The Underdogs – it’s mainstream techno at its most delightful. In the end you take the rough with the smooth, and where The Golden Filter are concerned, even their rough is a touch on the silky side. Sophisticated, glacial and accessible, Voluspa would look rather nice on your coffee table. Video
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