Produced by Hope For Agoldensummer Mastered by Alex Lowe

Reviewer -Keith Mikkelson

This isn't your typical Garth Brooks by-way-of Pavement shit that all too often passes for “Southern Gothic.” When the Campbell sisters and Co., frequently known by their unfortunate acronym HFAGS, tell you of the heart they bought in the deep, deep South, they probably don't mean Atlanta or Athens, the actual cities the members are from. The vision of a godforsaken southern wasteland Hope For Agoldensummer casts conjures images of humid and buggy nights, small town cops drunk on the small amount of power afforded to them, and heartbroken elderly men with their mouths eroded by gum disease and their livers destroyed after decades of drinking away loneliness. Themes of regret, sorrow, and misery dot these tales of missed opportunities and desperation heartbreakingly packaged as hope, the majority of which are penned by Claire Campbell. And the music is weighty, bombastic, and passionate while it contains enough subtleties to reward coming to know this album like a best friend. Will Taylor's use of the cello simply cannot be overstated. His style is closest in the effect it produces to reigning Godmothers of post-Cleopatra goth rock, Rasputina, but there really isn't a precedent for the context the instrument occupies in this recording. Taylor's gentle tones trace cobwebbed patterns across the backdrop of the textures languidly crafted by the understated rhythm section. Dropping into a lull before rising to be the most prominent sound in the mix, Taylor's cello is clearly recorded with a full appreciation for the range of possibilities the instrument can provide. Many of the songs are similar in their simple chord progressions and nearly sadistic buildup of tension to the quieter side of Mazzy Star and, most notably, Cat Power (especially when Chan Marshal was accompanied by members of the Dirty Three on Moon Pix). Like these artists, HFAGS turn their pain, weariness, and unrelenting desire to express against all odds into soulful and profoundly affecting art. (self-released)