Review: A Flower in Your Head -John Gold

Los Angeles singer/songwriter John Gold recently released his third, proper studio album A Flower in Your Head. With two of the album’s tracks already making it into rotation thanks to MTV shows like Teen Wolf and 16 & Pregnant, this new effort is getting Gold some well-respected attention. However, solid tracks aside, the album falls short due to lack of standout moments and sense of direction.

The album is singer/songwriter at its most cliché. Sonically, there is (and maybe unintentional) influence from bands like Augustana, Hanson, and the Honorary Title. The theme of the “broken relationship” runs its course through tracks like “Vampire’s Kiss” and “Augusta Vail.” But, where it succeeds is in the track, “Baby It’s Your Life” which is the most interesting track including vocal distortions during an infectious chorus that break-up the monotonous tone of the other songs.

As a whole, the record’s atmosphere is subtle –almost fading into the background. Half of the album includes acoustics and piano that put you to sleep rather than make you want to continue listening. The album’s unnecessary “Interlude” and the song “The Flower in My Head” are simply boring. Too much emphasis is placed on the lyrics making the listening tedious.

The other half of the record shows Gold really falter. Tracks like “We Get High” and “Honeymade” include dance beats and keys that show Gold’s muddled sense of direction. The idea of “commercialism” can plague an unknown singer/songwriter, but Gold seems like he’s trying too hard to find some type of success and room to fit into any specific genre.

Though the cons of the album outweigh its pros, there are a few solid tracks that show promise for future works. “Skyscraper”, “Thursday” and “The Loop” can stand on their own amongst an album of underwhelming pop songs. Though he has three albums under his belt, Gold still doesn’t know who he is musically. Hopefully he discovers his true inspirations and sound and can finally release the album that catapults him to stardom. **5.6/10