The much-beloved American Music Club makes majestically beautiful music about life's ugly moments. Singer/guitarist Mark Eitzel's pathos is steeped in deep lyrical imagery, and the band backs him up with equal imagination. AMC's return in 2004, after a long absence, is a cause for celebration.
The Golden Age is the veteran San Francisco band's ninth release, on which the "slowcore" band strikes out for new territory, moving out of the dark tone of their past and into a looser, more upbeat future.