What would I pick? “Damhsa Na Saoirse” would make the cut, with harmonics and an all-stop about half-way through, the bass string walking up by itself around the 2:15 mark. Nine of Golay’s songs are, like “Damhsa,” within 15 seconds of 3:30, the standard pop-song length, which gives you a clue to where some of his songwriting tendencies might come from, but it also leads one to wonder if part of the equation isn’t just getting to three minutes and then ending it. He does do the verse-chorus-verse thing, but there often isn’t a melody line to follow, like jazz’s instrumentals will often feature. Rather, he features a series of phrases.
On the album’s longest, “Reunion March,” we get some really difficult stuff, reaching all over the neck, hitting frequent harmonics, at one point hitting one per measure. Like “Maine Waltz,” however, it’s hardly recognizable as its title form. On “March,” I think you can tap out the 3/3 time, but it’s kind of awkward.
Hard-core guitar nerds will be listening for a variety of tunings, open and capoed, and harder-core nerds will know what’s special about “Between the Rains,” which features a resonator, or more specifically a mahogany Weissenborn Style 3 copy by Gold Tone, played with a slide on at least some of the strings. It gets pretty rockin’ for about 10 seconds at the one-minute mark and again at two, after which Golay grinds to a halt, pauses, and starts over. Often, his halts act as mini bridges.
As with “Across the Bridge,” the song/story of his proposal to his wife on the Brooklyn Bridge, it seems like many of these songs are infused with emotion and special meaning for Golay that may not totally translate to the listener. I found myself desperate for a cool off-note like the one featured early in “Anam Cara,” a dissonance that gives the listener something to grab onto and mull over. Otherwise, things blend together, which keeps a good album from being great.
Mike Golay | May 4 | O’Natural’s, Portland | May 16 | Top of the East, Portland
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Mike Golay: www.mikegolay.com
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Sam Pfeifle:sam_pfeifle@yahoo.com
