Electric Trails From Nowhere is the debut album by Melbourne (via Perth) band The Golden Rail but it is also the culmination of a 30 year writing partnership between principal song writers Ian Freeman and Jeff Baker. The pair met and started performing in Perth in the mid-80's running through a string of bands either together or as side players in The Palisades, The Rainyard, Header, Summer Suns, DM3 and more recently with their Off The Hip release by The Jangle Band.
After a couple of line-up manoeuvres the band has settled as a 4-piece with former Header guitarist Dave Chadwick on bass and Saki Garth on drums. The album is the sound of a new band reflecting on the longer musical and life experiences of its members with the flash of those golden Australian indie pop years (think The Triffids, Died Pretty, the Go-Betweens and the Apartments). “I think we are still writing songs with the same heart as those earlier days,” say the band. “we just seem to make more sense of them now.” “We still wanted to retain the wide-eyed wonder of making music for the first time and so we adjusted the line-up and approach sideways a little to keep that edge.”
The album has a classic rock/pop combination of guitars, bass and drums with some generous harmonies and occasional keyboard flourishes. It's a reading of 60's and 70's pop sounds through an indie-rock prism with a subtle Australian bent. The Golden Rail’s first promotional single, “Oh My!”, was issued independently earlier in 2017 and features on Electric Trails From Nowhere. The album itself was recorded over several months in 2016 and 2017 at The Aviary Studios in Abbotsford with Fraser Montgomery and Nick Edin.
A 10-track version is available on vinyl from Spain on the Pretty Olivia label (who also released vinyl versions of The Jangle Band and Rainyard compilation). Off The Hip in Melbourne will release a CD version which includes additional tracks from the album sessions and an acoustic demo.
All songs Baker/Freeman
Recorded at The Aviary Studios, Abbotsford, Melbourne. Engineered and produced by Fraser Montgomery and Nick Edin. "Golden Rail" recorded by Glenn Musto at his home studio. Mixed by Fraser Montgomery. Mastered by Adam Dempsey. Artwork by Tess Kelly.
Jeff Baker - Guitars, Keys
Dave Chadwick - Bass
Ian Freeman - Vocals, Guitars, Keys
Saki Garth - Drums, Vocals
(c) all rights reserved
released October 26, 2017
ALBUM REVIEWS
XPRESS MAGAZINE - Chris Havercroft
THE GOLDEN RAIL Electric Trails From Nowhere gets 9/10
Having joined with Perth mates to write and record the Jangle Band album of last year, Jeff Baker and Ian Freeman returned to their Melbourne based outfit The Golden Rail, for yet another ‘debut’ by the seminal songwriting duo. Having built a reputation for delivering in your face pop tunes, Baker and Freeman step back a little on Electric Trails From Nowhere and harness the tones of the early 70s.
There is the familiar jangle and immediacy that you would expect form these pop veterans on Imperfectly, which has a hook that is likely to earworm you for weeks. The most political the band get is when they suggest they lifted a chord for It’s Time from the Gough Whitlam political campaign, but in reality, these are a set of songs about the matters of the heart.
Last Day Of Summer references the “no tell motel” and “two rooms in old Bassendean” to show that the pair have lost none of their lyrical prowess when creating a narrative. Blue Wedding finds Freeman delivering an uncharacteristically sombre vocal that shows his time spent scouring over records by The Apartments wasn’t wasted.
Electric Trails From Nowhere shows Freeman to be in the best vocal form of his life with Suki Garth offering perfectly placed backing vocals from behind her drum kit. Dave Chadwick plays bass like a guitarist to give the bottom end some extra strut, while Baker’s lithe playing finds him chime in with riffs and solos that form the backbone of these immaculately constructed slices of melody.
Electric Trails From Nowhere is the best record that Baker and Freeman have put their names to in over three decades of making music together. Bucking current trends to make a classic sounding record has paid dividends. The Golden Rail are the golden ticket.
xpressmag.com.au/the-golden-rail-electric-trails-from-nowhere-gets-910/
JANGLE POP HUB - South Africa
Although Ian Freeman and Jeff Baker have had a song writing relationship that has spanned 30 years encompassing notable Australian bands like Header, The Rainyard, The Palisades and the Summer Suns, they perhaps may not have envisioned being as prolific as they have in the last 18 months.
For this is actually their 713th debut album during this period. Actually, of course it is not. However after incurring the wrath of several sax players for jokingly implying that they were all perverts (see the Autumn Stones review and apologies to all Saxophonists) I suppose upsetting a couple of my long standing heroes may as well be added to my list of 'sins of the scribe'.
This sense of 'prolific' probably stems from the sheer quality quality of their recent work. In 2016 they returned home to Perth for a much anticipated Rainyard reunion only to see the venture collapse and for The Jangle Band to be formed from the ashes and release the sublime 60's inflected jangling brilliance of Edge of A Dream.
In this album they visit Melbourne, indulge in a couple of personnel changes which saw Saki Garth taking over sticks duty, and Dave Chadwick (ex Header) assuming bass duties. However these changes has not seen any quality reduction compared to their Perth contemporaries. It is just a somewhat different nuance of quality.
Sure, the smooth 'made for the jangle-pop' vocals of Freeman remain consistent, still insisting that the melodies follow him, like some sort of quasi-pied piper. However, the overall sound is now on the jangling side of all things 70's pop rock, rather than the 60's and at times takes on a far more indie-pop aesthetic than the Edge of A Dream. In fact such a comment could be extended to anything that they have previously been involved in, which has always tended to be more of an aggressive in your face pop, in comparison to what they have settle upon with this album.
However if 'settled' holds certain ignoble connotations of antiquity, then that really is not the case, despite the influences that have shaped the sound. The albums opener, Imperfectly has that beautiful melodic bias to it that the best of any era would love to lay claim too, as the lyrics provide an album typical world-wise view of how opposites attract. Similarly tracks such as Look Both Ways, Blue Wedding and the superb lead single, Oh My! all offer the sort of middle-aged wisdom (apologies gents) of matters of the heart that only those that have consistently been through the tribulations of love can truly appreciate and perhaps, appropriately address in song form.
In general this album is simply the prettiest and maturest that the Baker and Freeman have ever produced and whilst I hope that this sort of melodic beauty will not always be the only remaining string to their bow as they simply have too many different types of musical arrows in their quiver, it is good to know that this sort of jangled arrow is capable of being fired at any time.
janglepophub.blogspot.com.au/2018/01/album-review-electric-trails-from.html
La Fase Sónica - España
Debút deluxe de maestros artesanos en eso del pop con mayúsc. + historia labrada a las espaldas + clase + partida de nacimiento sita en Australia = conjunción de éxito en el resultado para con nuestros tímpanos.
Entre las filas de la formación la dupla Ian Freeman y Jeff Baker que menos renombre que Liam / Noel - Kim / Kanye - CR7 / CR7 berreando cuál macho cabrío
pero obra que deja el legado de los otros a la altura del betún, dado que la suya llega al mismísimo centro del corazón.
Un discarral de guitarra.bajo.batería.armonías
vocales.de primera parte espectacular y pese a un tramo hacia el final quizá un poco más flojete es rematado con un the Silent Birds que redondea majestuosamente un álbum que tira pa´trás del gustirrirrín.
lafasesonica.blogspot.com.au/2017/12/recuento-lo-mas-mejor-internacional.html
Don Valentine - IDHAS – UK
For those of you are paying attention, you will remember the review I did of The Jangle Band's Edge Of A Dream last year.
Where as the band's name gives away the direction of Edge Of A Dream, The Golden Rail largely hit another vibe. There is some jangle, but Electric Trails From Nowhere casts it's net far wider. For all the twang on Imperfectly and Metal And Shells, the album is rooted in a hinter land, somewhere between San Franciscan 70's Rock and vintage UK Pop Rock.
Many of you will be familiar with the stalwarts that are Jeff Baker and Ian Freeman, if not from bands mentioned in the previous review, then definitely from the DM3 and Summer Suns. Although the album isn't as chorus led as those two bands, there is a laid back gentleness that just grips you. Look Both Ways is a gem of a song, a lovely lovely affair.
The playing is wonderful, guitar hooks that just grab you, rock you but gently. There's plenty of nods to the likes of Jackson Browne, The Eagles, even Manassas, particularly on the likes of The Silent Birds.
The album is very much song with a story led. The Last Days Of Summer is in Doolin' Dalton territory. It's Time is very much in that mid 70's Jigsaw mode. This is a fine affair, sit back in the armchair joy. It's well worth your attention.
hearasingle.blogspot.com.au/2017/12/the-golden-rail-electric-trails-from.html
