Lowgold - Welcome to Winners

England has always been stereotyped as a place of gloomy weather and sometimes gloomy music. In recent years, that has most certainly been supported by a wealth of British imports like The Doves, Travis and Coldplay, whose music can be fun and poppy but also more than a little somber. The reasons these bands succeed is in the mix of the two, by making a dreamy album not so dreamy as to put one to sleep and by making a melancholy album not so sad as to make one off oneself. The second full length from Lowgold could definitely be considered in the same category, combining pop, dream and sadness to form one of the best albums from across the pond all year. Welcome To Winners doesn’t come out the box as something you would expect to get addicted to. The packaging is completely black and white, no frills and depicts a lonely set of paper ships in the middle of the sea. Once the disc hits the player though, it is hard to get out. It isn’t so much that the album is catchy or grandiose or unique, but it has a sound that soothes and pleases from front to back. “We Don’t Have Much Time,” one of the more up-tempo tracks on the disc, sets a nice stage for diving into some of the slow tunes, and “The Same Way” drives nicely down the road as a subtle pop song. The mood immediately, but fittingly, shifts on “Let Me Into Yours” and “Means To An End,” two more acoustically driven and laid back pieces. The ebb and flow continues jumping between more upbeat tunes (“Just A Ride”, “Clear The Skies”) and slower tracks (“Keep Your Gun Dry”, “Save Yourself”), but the crown jewel has to be “Fade Down,” a song that successfully combines both sides of the disc into a grand culmination of the band's vision. Of all the tracks on the disc, it is “Fade Down” that stands up and demands notice. Dreamy, melancholy, whatever you want to call it; a laid back sound doesn’t have to mean a laid back experience for an album. Lowgold has avoided any sophomore slump and built beautifully on the foundation of their debut. Unfortunately, this is a band that might get lost in the shuffle. The album shows up as an import on most web sites, and finding the album or a tour stateside might take some waiting, but if you can find this little gem, grab it. One of the best albums I have heard lately. [www.welcometowinners.com]