Fredrick & The Golden Dawn is the debut album from Dublin-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, performer and poet Kevin Nolan. Comprising 10 tracks, the record takes the listener on a walk on the weird side, telling some diabolically good tales of love and death along the way. Taking musical cues from the likes of Bad Seed-era Nick Cave, Tom Waits and the dearly departed Captain Beefheart, Nolan has carved out a world full of strange characters and stunning sonic tapestries.
Opening with ‘Blood Wedding’, ukulele and finger-snaps underpin Nolan’s blood-thirsty bellow, getting the album off to a strong start. ‘Splinter’ is another stand-out, splicing Jeff Wayne’s The War Of The Worlds with math rock guitars. ‘Aubade’ is a tear-stained duet with Julie Feeney, a bleak, beautiful, stripped back torchsong. However, the spaghetti western-esque ‘Last Days Of Harry Carey’ is the pick of the bunch for me, a bombastic four minutes of blood and thunder that’s worth the price of admission alone. Spell-binding stuff.
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