The Golden Age

Woodkid - The Golden Age
Critic Score
Based on 8 reviews
2013 Ratings: #702 / 1115
User Score
Based on 226 ratings
2013 Rank: #256
Liked by 21 people
March 18, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
Sign In to rate and review

CRITIC REVIEWS

85
The Line of Best Fit

More of a conceptual project than a record, the cinematic debut from Woodkid ... will divide listeners but it’s an assured, cohesive and intelligent record, perhaps more than any other so far this year.

85
Louder Than War
French musician Woodkid mixes sophistication, originality and utter cool to create a world of potent cinematic soundscapes on his debut album.
80
No Ripcord

Woodkid has a sound that is unique in the music landscape, and most of the songs on this album are exciting, evocative tracks that play to the most basic of emotions: love, loss and redemption. 

80
The Guardian
"The golden age is over," mourns Lemoine, but there's enough wide-eyed magic and spellbinding pomp here to make the adventure worthwhile.
70
AllMusic

A beautiful, if at times exhausting album, The Golden Age shows Lemoine is skilled at making music as well as music videos.

60
NME

This, his debut, is full of the multi-instrumentalism, Antony Hegarty vocals and super-clean production that have made the 29-year-old Parisian’s name.

50
PopMatters

If you’re in the mood for something bold, with loud production and poetic lyrics,  The Golden Age might be worth hearing. It just might not be an experience that sticks with you in the long run.

40
musicOMH

Taken strictly as an aural experience, it’s a brave and sometimes moving work that nonetheless falls well short of success.

Cyiniz
81

I originally found Woodkid about 6 years ago from Geometry Dash, the level using his song 'Run Boy Run' which to this day I think is a phenomenal track. Even if I've barely listened to Woodkid, the level will always be somewhere in my memories because I remember how amazed I was when I was younger and saw that for the first time. It's a great orchestral and cinematic art-pop album, Woodkid's vocals are incredible, but production can get a bit samey towards the middle.

Starting incredibly ... read more

mrmerle
60

"The Golden Age" has tons of opportunities to shine with how wild and well-assorted its production is. It's also an LP that features vocals of good quality from Woodkid.

I had difficulty however engaging myself in this record .
Although it sounds very cinematic and epic, the music's composition itself is not that amazing to me. What kept my attention while listening is the song "The Shore" which is constructed with a fairly unusual chord progression.
The next two songs ... read more

Stasious
100

After a second listen through, I can now say with certaincy that this album is a joy to go through for me. The orchestra inspired instrumentals and the geunine strength and power from the vocalist make for one of the best debuts of all time, in my opinion.

DonovanA
85

I have a major bias toward this record, but I remember listening to it years ago and have nostalgia for revisiting it. 8.5/10

Favorite Track: The Golden Age

Thalassophoneus
95

For me, Woodkid embodies chamber pop possibly better than any other musician. He hybridizes grand, emotional orchestral arrangements, similar to what one could expect from Hans Zimmer, with percussion and lyrics that put his music in a pop context, making it more appropriate for jumping and singing to it.

Spamman
85

An album that radiates beauty and pain.

Purchasing The Golden Age from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?
Become a Donor
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Advertisement

Track List

1The Golden Age
3:44
95
2Run Boy Run
3:33
99
3The Great Escape
3:17
95
4Boat Song
4:28
88
5I Love You
3:51
92
6The Shore
4:14
96
7Ghost Lights
3:41
94
8Shadows
2:02
91
9Stabat Mater
2:49
90
10Conquest of Spaces
4:30
95
11Falling
0:44
87
12Where I Live
4:26
93
13Iron
3:23
96
14The Other Side
3:41
94
Total Length: 48 minutes

Year End Lists

#17/Pigeons & Planes
#94/Amazon
Comments (1)
Sign in to comment
2w


Added on: January 31, 2013