Flashback Week: Born Gold - "I Am An Exit"

Born Gold - I Am An Exit

Release Date: October 8th, 2013

Label: Art Control / Hovercraft

Talk to any Born Gold fan and they’ll talk your ear off about a glowing jacket that responds to sound, shovels used for percussion, hockey helmets, and other over the top elements attached to their wonderful live shows.  These carnival-esq concerts, the very thing that helped Cecil Frena's project gain attention in the first place, now act as a giant shadow over the actual music, which is getting better release after release. 

Born Gold’s first few releases felt like little snacks to hold the listener over until they caught the band live, but on I Am An Exit, Frena flips it and makes Born Gold’s first great album that stands on its own.  The album feels like a complete artistic document and features some of the most imaginative electronics this year.  The music is more grounded than previous releases with blazing layers of creative sounds giving way to a more restrained Frena, who really illuminates his talents as a vocalist by playfully switching on a dime from laid back to intense at any given moment.

Listen to the track “I Am The Bent Blade” to hear the best example of why I Am An Exit is Born Gold’s best album to date and such a leap forward for the band.  The track features an industrial synth line that folds on itself while Frena explores a range of vocal emotions.  As the song progresses, new layers are introduced and the song begins to rise up and up until the music is floating on a higher level with an impressive blend of perfectly placed sounds.  “I Am The Bent Blade” shows the maturity and high level of thought Born Gold brings to I Am An Exit, each song smartly rooted in pop fundamentals with all the unique flourishes we expect from Frena packed in.

I often refer to my favorite albums as “smart fun” and I Am An Exit exemplifies this concept to perfection.  Hunger is an album that can be controlled by the listener.  One could analyze all the small beauties of Frena’s electronics or simply put I Am An Exit on the big speakers and have a dance party.  Unlike mainstream pop, Born Gold is uniquely crafting catchy electronic music that works on both artistic and guilty pleasure levels; the listener decides how they want to experience this very adaptable music. 

Anybody who has ever seen Born Gold knows they put on one hell of a live show. With I Am An Exit, Frena took on the difficult task of moving out of his own shadow and changing the perception of Born Gold’s capabilities.  Frena doesn’t just succeed; he cements himself as one of the most exciting songwriters today. We can only hope he continues to challenge the boundaries of electronic pop, a stale genre with a few thoughtful musicians reminding us of its importance, one album like I Am An Exit at a time.

Full Album Stream

Born Gold - Hunger