Midnight Choir by Matt Gold

Midnight Choir, the second solo release from Chicago multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Matt Gold, borrows its title from a Leonard Cohen lyric. But where Cohen sang of “a drunk in a midnight choir,” stumbling home and singing in harmony with others, Gold found himself constructing the bones of his next record in complete solitude. Recorded and performed almost entirely by himself on the cusp of a Chicago winter, Midnight Choir presents Gold’s songwriting and production sensibilities in full effect, gracefully sprawling in all directions -- arriving at both a choir and a language of his own, in dialogue with itself throughout.

The themes of Midnight Choir explore the conflict between isolation and interconnectedness, interior life and relationships. It seems fitting, then, that Gold’s recording and production process was largely a reclusive one; he gave himself five consecutive days alone in his home studio to complete the bulk of the record. Emerging from the initial thrust of the project, Gold enlisted a very small cohort of collaborators to contribute to a few of the songs. Augmented by drummer JT Bates (Bonny Light Horseman, Taylor Swift, Big Red Machine), singer and partner Anabel Hirano, and bassist Bryan Doherty (who also contributes lyrics to a delicate song near the close of the record), Midnight Choir oscillates between hazy pop hooks, stark acoustic narratives, rhythmic propulsion, and sonic collage.

Gold is known in Chicago and beyond for his work with numerous artists including Makaya McCraven, Greg Ward, and Jamila Woods; McCraven says Gold is "one of the most comprehensive musicians I know...I’ve always been impressed with his mix of sensitivity, virtuosity, and knowledge that make him an incredible artist to work with and an inspiration.” Taken with his own solo work and collaborative projects Sun Speak and Storm Jameson, Gold’s creative voice has distinguished itself as one drawn to diverse folkloric traditions while reaching for an ever-present melodic sense that is all his own. Deeply invested in making strong contributions as an instrumentalist, composer, and producer for so many artists, Midnight Choir is nonetheless a bold and welcome addition to Gold’s solo output, indulging a deeper dive into his deft songwriting and imaginative production.

Touching on the lineage of far-reaching home recordists such as Emitt Rhodes, Sly Stone, Richard Swift, and the early solo releases of Paul McCartney, songs like “Coming Up Shy” and “Midnight Choir” burst forward with swirling guitars and vibrant hooks. This instrumental flair is tempered by Gold’s lyrical choices, which often take the form of open letters to himself. Elsewhere, the record turns quieter, as in “Sing Us Till Dawn” and “One Half is True” – the former of which is awash in synthesizers and cavernous drum programming, the latter drawing on rhythms that entangle traditional West African guitar styles with Gold’s exploratory melodicism. There, Gold looks to the central tension between isolation and connectedness as he sings, “Who am I, who am I / from behind your eyes?”

Taken as a whole, Midnight Choir represents an ambitious production from a seasoned artist, drawing together disparate streams into a cohesive whole – indeed, Gold seems to revel in making musical sense of opposing energies. Midnight Choir is a strong step in Gold’s journey to edge ever closer to a music that is reflective of the whole self, in both its convictions and its contradictions.

www.mattgoldmusic.com