My Gold Mask – Violet Eyes

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My Gold Mask, comprised of drummer/vocalist Gretta Rochelle and guitarist Jack Armondo, are going to be the hot new thing. They’ve got that BRKLYN hipster style, and two person bands are all the rage now (No Age, Japandroids, etc.). That said, if My Gold Mask blows up, it won’t be undeserved.

The track “Violet Eyes” is haunting, soulful rock/post-punk/pop/whatever, stripped down rhythms and jangling guitars setting up a bleak yet catchy stage on which Rochelle’s voice can dance. With throaty-white-girl pipes reminiscent of Karen O., Rochelle dances across “Violet Eyes,” staying tight through the verse, and gradually opening up, till her voice skys and slinks through the chorus.

“Violet Eyes” sounds terribly nostalgic, pining for rock played in smoky rooms by badass dames in leather jackets, and that sentiment translates. I wish I could be more critical of a band so ripe for overhyping, but every time I listen to this song I find my toe tapping and my mind drifting. They may not be groundbreaking in any way, but that’s not the point – like a perfect steak dinner, your favorite jeans, or an old flame’s kiss, My Gold Mask infuses some heart into the mundane, and makes it beautiful.

My Gold Mask – Violet Eyes

by Daniel Siegal on November 4, 2009 ‡ 2 reactions