Go Rydell

The Golden Age (2010)

Bryne Yancey

Go Rydell have been creating buzz around the Orlando area for a few years now, jazzing up kids with their raucous live show and brand of brevity-laced melodic hardcore. The hype must've drifted north as Black Numbers picked up the band for their official debut, The Golden Age, and it's a fun, solid listen.

The band errs to the side of melodic hardcore influenced by Kid Dynamite, but really, Go Rydell just sound like a more direct Shook Ones, which definitely ain't a bad thing. Chris Scaduto's vocal approach is downright caustic at times, evident immediately in opener "MTA," but the melodies behind him take the bite off just a bit, creating a nice balance.

Likewise, there's a bouncy breakdown in the title track that's awfully catchy; the band definitely does a nice job of incorporating a lot of different tempos in a short amount of time--the longest track here, "Suck Brick Kid," clocks in at a hefty 1:59--without any of it being jarring.

Perhaps the most melodic track on The Golden Age is the aforementioned "Suck Brick Kid," which for the most part stays straightforwardly poppy and even a little bombastic in spots. It's a nice break in the middle of what's otherwise a blitzkrieg of speed that flies by (while technically a full-length, I guess, this record is only about 15 minutes long). Speaking of, there's some neat riffing in "Anchored," which at 45 seconds is over before it really begins.

"Over before it really begins" would be an apt way to describe The Golden Age, but that's hardly a detractor in Go Rydell's case. This is an enjoyable listen from a band with room to grow, and its brevity only increases its replay value.