A.M. Gold

The debut record from Lifetime alums Ari Katz and Dave Idea is a far cry from their hardcore punk roots, but on occasion it is still an amazing slab of electro-pop that should really have folks dancing. Packing in their distorted guitars and shouted vocals, the boys (and Katz's wife, Miss TK) have opted for synthesizers and fragile keyboard grooves on this project, and while Lifetime fans certainly won't be sated by the results, it's still a pretty good record. The opening duo of "True Zero" and "AM Gold" are easily the highlights of the record and feature Katz's perpetually slurred vocals over high-energy beats and mind-numbing hooks. Unfortunately the record heads downhill from there and the majority of its other tracks are pointless psychedelic dance grooves that never get too far off the ground. Making it all a bit harder to take is the fact that for most of the record's length the vocals are too far out of the mix to even be appreciated. When Zero Zero rocks out on a winner, it's clear from the start, and those are the moments that really save the record from a lesser fate. AM Gold is far from consistent, but when a debut record has highs that are this good, the lows can easily be both expected and ignored. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo, Rovi