A strange thing happens after listening to Americana/indie-folk duo Minor Gold’s self-titled debut album a few times: the voices of Tracy McNeil and Dan Parsons, the two members of Minor Gold, start to sound like they are melded. Not that they aren’t distinctive – because each has an identifiable singing style and tone – but because they sound like they completely belong together. There is an ease to the way the pair sings together, and while one might say this makes sense because they’ve been performing together for a few years, anything that sounds effortless is usually the result of diligent work.
And that is the underlying secret of this cruisy dream of an album that scoops you up and carries you along with it: Parsons and McNeil are really accomplished songwriters, singers, artists who have taken time and care to create the breeze they’re riding on, so that it flows along for the listener and makes this album an absolute pleasure from start to finish.
Canada-born McNeil has her own band, The GoodLife, and with them played festivals in her homeland as well as the United States and her now-home, Australia. Parsons has released four albums as a solo artist, so he is well established as a singer-songwriter. It takes two artists who know who they are, what moves them and inspires them, to make an album that sounds like not only a great sum of its parts but something separate, with its own identity and stories to go with it (see also: The Pleasures).
On Minor Gold there are songs about life and love, about respect and care. The care is evidenced by how delicate the album can sound at times – not because the songs aren’t strong but because McNeil and Parsons have no need to force anything. Above all this sounds like an album made by two people who appreciate what they have and wish to document it, and who have thoroughly enjoyed the process. It is always apparent to a listener when an artist is enjoying themselves, and it generates enjoyment in the listening that is additional to anything gained from the music and the lyrics. And just as it’s hard to imagine Parsons and McNeil not singing together, having heard the album they made it’s hard to imagine not having it playing for a long time to come.
Currently on tour in the United States, Minor Gold can usually be found near Brisbane, and will return to Australia later this year. You can keep track of them at: https://www.minorgoldmusic.com and Australian tour dates can be seen in the graphic below.
Listen to Minor Gold on Apple Music
