Naming yourself after anything that's cream of the crop rarely, if ever, works - but there's something appropriate about it here.

This Minneapolis trio make easy-listening out of uneasy subjects - the angry, violent breakups and recriminations (sample lyric: "I dont think its wrong, gettin a little revenge in a song"), the times when you have to remind yourself that you're not shit, dammit, you're Solid Gold.

Plus, there's a definite alchemy happening when music manages to be both upbeat and downbeat at the same time.




The fact that Solid Gold are still unsigned only adds to the sense of futility they suffuse into their music.

However, things could change next month when they hit London for a string of small gigs to support their debut album - Bodies of Water - which is out now and follows one previous EP.

There are sure to be some major label players attending, maybe including some old Beta Band or Depeche Mode fans, panning for Gold, but after listening to their lyrics you do wonder if they might be better off on their own.