Golden Sings That Have Been Sung (Deep Cuts Edition)

It’s always risky when a young artist opens an album with an unexpected gambit that either sounds remarkably better or different than the rest of the songs that follow. Going for the shock of the new is understandable, but there’s the danger that listeners could fall in love with that first moment and then become disappointed when the rest of the record fails to stack up. Such is the case with Golden Sings That Have Been Sung, the third studio album by Illinois guitar wunderkind Ryley Walker.

On his past two records, Walker fetishized the sounds and aesthetics of quasi-mystical British folk of the late 1960s and early ’70s; everything about 2015’s Primrose Green, from the songs, to Walker’s vocals, to even the photography and font on the album cover screamed “revivalist.” However, on Golden Sings opener “The Halfwit in Me,” Walker tones down those influences while shifting things back home to the late ’90s baroque folk of Chicago artists like Gastr del Sol and Jim O’Rourke. The song pulls from the successful elements of Walker’s previous work while embracing these newer (albeit still “retro”) influences and melding it all into a beautiful, pensive six-minute suite that seems to declare the official arrival of an artist who’s on his own path.

Unfortunately, none of the other seven songs on Golden Sings sound anything like “The Halfwit in Me.” Part of what makes that track successful is the way Walker uses his spindling guitar melodies to carry it forward at a brisk clip, showcasing delicate instrumental interplay and allowing his serviceable voice to complement rather than dominate the song. Disappointingly, four of Golden Sings’s eight cuts slow things down to a dirge-like pace that de-emphasizes the value of his playing. These songs also put his voice and lyrics front and center—like he’s hoping to dazzle us with the strength and passion of his pipes and the inspired poetry they sing, a la Van Morrison. But while Walker’s vocals are considerably improved from Primrose Green, they’re still more equipped to serve as an accompaniment rather than the star of his music.

Also, considering Walker’s rep as a guitar savant, the decision to minimize the fancy playing is a bit of a head scratcher. On the piano-driven “Funny Thing She Said,” the weakness is especially apparent as the song just crawls and bores. Additionally, the languidness draws undue attention to Walker’s occasionally overwrought lyrics, which often just hang and die in the air awkwardly. In light of these glacial jeremiads, the buoyant, saccharine folk-pop of “I Will Ask You Twice” feels almost desperately welcome, despite the fact that it more or less sounds like an outtake from Jewel’s Pieces of You.

It’s not all glum though. Golden Sings offers one other winning track with the bright and beautiful “The Roundabout.” Setting the stage with a warm, slightly droning guitar riff, the song succeeds at advancing Walker’s desire to position himself as a successor to the British folk legends he so obviously loves. Relating a tale of the comforting time spent at reliable local bar, the repeating guitar line emphasizes the sort of hypnotic brainlock that a powerful moment of nostalgia can offer. He succeeds lyrically as well, with amusing lines like, “I want to buy you a drink, but my credit is quit shit/We can all laugh and have tap water.”

It’s evident that Walker is talented and brimming with ideas—and there are moments on this record that mark the best music he’s ever made. But he needs to get a better understanding of his strengths if he wants to become more than just another nifty live-guitar throwback.