People In Hindsight – Byorn Gold (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Having decided to drip-feed out his latest batch songs in the form of three ep’s, all themed towards certain aspects of life and humanity, reflection and hope, following hot on the heels of Love… and Life… Byorn Gold now presents us with People In Hindsight, the last sonic segment in the series. His approach to releasing music this way seems to be the perfect bridge between the traditional album release and the current trend of artists just sending out a stream of single-orientated songs. It’s the best of both worlds. This way you get a steady flow of songs to try out and, hopefully, buy before they are all amalgamated into a full-album release in the new year.

Whilst previous EPs were themed around affairs of the heart and the ups and downs of life itself, this time he sets his sights on actual individuals. 12th November saw the opening salvo, Next Question Please, arrive in fine style, an upbeat acoustic rocker full of groove and gusto, a musical portrait of a recent US president, (yes, that one!) a song shot through with its subjects own thoughts and phrases, which in this context feel like a parody but considering these are his own words are merely a sad reality. (And more about such sad realities later.) And there’s even a reference to his countryman Hans Christian Anderson’s tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

Mary Has A Secret turns to deeper, more serious and more spiritual matters. Its slow, lilting grace and waltz beat is perfect for a song about not just one Mary, the mother of Jesus, but the three Mary’s that are part of his story. With the track dropping only a few days ago (26th November) it is perfectly timed as a Christmas release but unlike the usual throwaway lyrics and schmaltzy music that is the hallmark of such seasonal songs, what Byorn offers us is something graceful, memorable and, for those of a more enquiring nature, an interesting point of discussion. (what WAS in that sponge?) Or you could just sway along to its graceful and lulling sound, whatever works best for you.

Dropping on 10th December is That Ed Sheeran Guy, a gentle ribbing about the fact that no matter what radio station or TV channel you turn on these days, Ed Sheeran is there to greet you. It is respectful enough, after all, you can’t knock a guy who has gone from sofa-surfing troubadour to global sensation in a matter of years. But Byorn has a point, you can’t even turn on Game of Thrones without him cropping up as a fireside minstrel. Is there no world that he can’t conquer? Again, it is all about the groove, and the song dances along in its own infectious and ear-worming sort of way…ironically just like an Ed Sheeran song.

People In Hindsight finally returns us to the place where we came in, and the 6th January release date for Perfect Storm is deliberately chosen to mark the storming of the US capital a year on from that dark day. In contrast to the anger and bombast, incredulity and terror of the moment, Perfect Storm is a soulful pop-rock song, running on funky basslines, sassy saxophone and gorgeous harmonies. It is also the perfect example of how you can wrap up an important point of discussion in the easiest going, West Coast infused sound.

People In Hindsight, and the two EPs that preceded it, is a fantastic collection of music that is allowed to wander through all manner of genres and styles, convey all sorts of messages from the intimate to the universal but which always retains the signature sound of the artist behind it. A sound that can be deft and delicate, euphoric and infectious, and everything in between. Now that this fabulous song cycle is finished, who knows where Byorn Gold will go next musically. Wherever it is, we know that it will be interesting, informative, unique and unmissable. I for one can’t wait. Oh, and rumours have it that he is headed in an Eastern direction…