Little Champion is the Asheville-based artistic vehicle of seasoned indie musician Dustin Goldklang. With an overarching anti-folk vibe that feels like an amalgamation of Kimya Dawson, Jeffrey Lewis, Nick Drake and Only Son, Peaks Island And Other Places – his second record – is a short sharp burst of creative energy, veiled anxiety and whimsical wanderlust.
There are little touches of various genres over the course of the album. It runs the gamut from pop-punk (Drive) to dream pop (Half Moon Bae) to power pop (Like The Earth Is Flat). It incorporates elements of electronica (Kids In The NW) and blends almost emo song structures with indie rock instrumentation (Hall Tree) – but it always comes back to its anti-folk core sound.
One of the distinct strengths of the record (and indeed its author) is its ability to paint a picture and to evoke vivid imagery with words. You can almost feel the coastal breeze on Half Moon Bae, smell the foliage behind where the Mountain Dew trucks are parked in the Suburbs and taste the spray of the choppy water beneath the Peaks Island Ferry.
At times, the laid-back vocal delivery or style combined with the rather DIY/lo-fi feel of parts of the music seems somewhat at odds with the pensive, wistful nature of some of the subject matter, but then that is one of Dustin’s established songwriting hallmarks. In the words of the artist himself, he “has developed a style of songwriting that is bursting with dichotomy: fluid yet structured, thoughtful yet goofy, sad yet funny.”
Peaks Island And Other Places is an absolute treat for the senses overall, not just the ears. Which, when it comes to music, is really quite a feat and a sensation that is not often encountered. And for that reason, this album should be celebrated and considered essential listening.
Written by Kinda Grizzly
