?

Old Gold is proud to unearth and release onto wax these melodic masterpieces which have a timeless, tireless power unto themselves. Like the spawn of the Beach Boys and the Beatles, the glorious Italian duo LMALL sound like they have been entertaining tourists on the coast of Brescia for decades, with lovely, multi-instrumental flourishes to their unusual pop songs reminiscent of Martin Denny and Harry Mancini. To wake up or make your day, this is music that simply feels good.

The lyrics are English but in a whispery accent that is at times hard to grasp. The band name, Le Man Avec Les Lunettes, is strangely untranslateable (the man with the crescent moon shaped glasses), and to add to the esoterica, the album title is simply "?" - wild courage from these young poets of the old country.

But following a thorough listen, tracks like "She's a Dogsitter," "Hallo Hallo", and "Victoria's Swimming Pool" reveal a great since of humor; we're all having fun together. Sometimes we're not sure if it's ironic, but we can all laugh and cry at the infatuations of young love/lust that recur lyrically amid the happy/sad dreamscapes that rise from the spinning vinyl. (Pink Floyd/Tim Buckley references intended.)

Le Man Avec Les Lunettes (or simply LMALL) are Fabio Benni and Alessandro Paderno. This release corresponds to their successful CD on Italy's Zahr records. This is their first American release, and the first release of Old Gold Lucky 13, a pop/noise imprint of Old Gold Records. AND it's only $10!

REVIEWS:

"Old Gold has branched out with a subsidiary! Lucky 13 is a "pop" imprint, and the first release is an LP from this Italian (yes, Italian - the album as released on CD in Italy) band. Le Man is a duo who can apparently, between them, play most any instrument. It's good, diverse '60s-derived psychedelic pop, sung in English in a relaxed, Lennon-like style, harmonies and all. It's all very light and pleasant, with friendly organ, acoustic guitar, adn moments of musical whimsy. I guess there'll always be a place for music like this. Le Man pull it off as well as, or better than, most." (Dugan Trodglen, Stomp and Stammer, July 2007)

Le Man Avec Les Lunettes is, in their own words, "an Italian project, that have a French name and that sings in English". They claim to be influenced by "Belle & Sebastian, Blur, Beatles, Beach Boys", and probably some other bands that start with B. The name of this track may or may not be "Sybil Vane", but either way it's pretty damn good: - Chris (gorillavs. bear blog)



STILL AVAILABLE

OGX

Hard to believe we put this together five years ago already. Time flies when you throw your alarm clock out the window. Anyway, this 2LP set features tracks that people sent us to consider releasing over the course of our first decade as Old Gold. It also includes live tracks recorded around Atlanta, some alternate versions of songs we did release, and other oddities we honestly meant to put out earlier. There are 210 copies of the comp, and the first 110 came with handmade gatefold jackets and painted/collaged centefolds as well as a booklet documenting Old Gold's first 10 years and discography up to that point. Needless to say it was a bitch to put together, so for the final 100 copies, we're jamming both LPs into one jacket and giving you the track listing - no booklet, no gatefolds. Sorry but that's the way the cookie crumbles. However, it is cheaper now - $12 per copy. Impossible to find a better comp for less out there. We dare you, asshole.

Oh yeah, OGX includes sounds from: Jad Fair & R. Stevie Moore, Charlie Parker, Petland Toy Faktory, Bad Poet, Cheryle Leonard, David Daniell, Eyeball Hurt & The Medicine, Tom Heasley, Morgan Guberman, 2 Geniuses, Zandosis, How to Kick Yourself, Earzumba, The Buford Highway, Bon Vivants, More, Yximalloo, Eugene Chadbourne & Davey Williams, Gold Sparkle Band, and others I'm forgetting right now.