Co-founder and long-standing guitarist for C86 indie ambassadors the Wolfhounds, Andy Golding has many talents including programmer, videographer (his credits include Jah Wobble, Cathal Coughlan, and label-mate Nick Haeffner), and multi-instrumentalist as showcased fully in Dragon Welding. It’s only one of a few side projects (organic folkie The Oythers fulfil another creative avenue), and he expands his musical explorer credentials beyond Indie guitar shredding as pulsing synths, electro-rock, guitar ambience and whole lot more wields a very creative, mind explosion on the third Dragon Welding album. It’s an aural journey covering diverse styles, finely tuned textures, tempos and moods.
As the last few years have shown, musicians and artists found many ways to continue creating. For Andy, Fictionary recorded between 2020 and 2022, discovered Logic Pro whilst confined to the home compared to his previous two albums use of mobile devices whilst commuting. There are times Andy shuns the guitar entirely as on the ambient shuffle exploring ‘Dumb Pool’ while ‘Mirror Dancer’ brings the scintillating thought and sound of the ‘Meninblack’ era The Stranglers uniting with a grooving at the disco Kraftwerk.
But his trusted axes are not completely shunned, as they are out of their cases, dusted down and layering alongside the electronics help form a varying degree of atmospherics; jangly guitar is applied on ‘Here Come the Rainbows’, while heavy robust dense drone ups the heavy on the electro-rock ‘We Answer Information Gathered’.
Taking in inspirations across the board ‘Clear Road Clear Night Clear Mind’ is the result of seeing friend and former McCarthy, Stereolab Tim Cane’s Anti Cavern Matter live, which provides the excellent motorik driven, head absorbing opening track. And whilst on holiday lying on a beach in 2019 listening to John Coltrane, as the sea’s waves gently crash in the background, shapes the idea of the title track. Using live drums by his brother Michael, Andy then applied one take overdubs with other instrumentation. The outcome achieves its intention, so avoid operating machinery while listening.
Dragon Welding largely envisions Andy holed up in his home studio like some mad professor, but he opens his door further afield as Collapsed Lung’s Ant Chapman nails the vocal duties for the Cathal Coughlan esque, ageing process themed ‘The Dark’. Closer to home, another family member, Andy’s daughter Alice applies gorgeous crooning in the album’s most song-orientated ‘An Angel not of this Earth’. It’s a sumptuous taster for a forthcoming album collaboration due out later this year, though under which moniker is as-yet unknown.
A feast for the ears, Fictionary is Andy Golding’s most diverse, and arguably his best Dragon Welding output thus far. It stands testament to the benefits of an artist having complete creative freedom for a widely eclectic listening experience. All is required from the listener is open ears.
