Fool’s Gold – Wild Window
I’m an avowed fan of fusing the various flavors of African style guitars with just about anything, unless the singer in question is named “Ezra Koenig.” So when I first heard the riff on Fool’s Gold’s latest single, “Wild Window,” I jumped – had the steel guitar players in Amadou and Mariam’s Mali-based ensemble joined forces with Yeasayer? ‘Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished, to be sure, but what Fool’s Gold gives us is almost as good.
The track is the first single off of their upcoming album, Leave No Trace, and it’s an excellent example of the cross-Atlantic sound they’ve been creating since their self-titled debut album. Frankly, this is one of the best fusions of indie and African rhythms and melodies I’ve heard in several years. It’s certainly at the top of the selection of music by indie bands who seem to have a (understandable) fascination with Afropop. By their estimation, specifically, the countries whose traditions they draw the most influence from are the Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Mali, but the resulting mixture is entirely unique. The band comes from diverse origins, too – among others, Luke Top is from Israel originally, and singer Erica Garcia is Argentinian.
Leave No Trace comes out August 16. “Wild Window,” below, has pushed it to the top of my summer wish list.
