The Red and Black

Issue date: 3/3/08 Section: Variety

Media Credit: Courtesy Hopeforagoldensummer.com [Click to enlarge]

Listening to "Ariadne Thread," the sophomore album from the band Hope For Agoldensummer, it is evident that this is no conventional project.

The album is organic and folksy, though the music is difficult to categorize.

The Athens- and Atlanta-based band, comprised of sisters Claire and Page Campbell, along with Deb Davis, seems to have its unique rhythm down pat. The album placed at the top of WUOG 90.5 FM's weekly top-10 albums played on Feb. 21.

The songs have an unrefined feel, as though they were recorded on the front porch of a farmhouse in the spring.

Unlike many bands that rely on conventional instruments, Hope For Agoldensummer incorporates those that may seem out of the ordinary, such as percussion bells and a xylophone. These additions add flair to its already catchy lyrics.

The tracks vary from the whimsical "Watermelon Heart" to the sweetly melodic "Katelina, Dear." The song "4th Night" has the lyrics, "It's been a long, long year. Things got messed up and crazy" and mixes feelings of sadness with those of hope.

"Threads" is a testament to the album's quirky style with the lyrics, "So mismatched like the threads that we wear."

The songs are original and yet they are of a strikingly similar sound to the band's first album, "I Bought a Heart made of Art in the Deep, Deep South."

One vast difference, however, is the fact that two of the former band members, Will Taylor and Jamie Shepard are absent. Without them, the band managed to make the 17-track CD even better than its first.

After the time of member re-organization, the name of the album was born. "Ariadne Thread" comes from the Greek myth of Ariadne and Theseus.

To escape from a labyrinth, Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of string to follow in order to help him find his way out. With all that has taken place in the band and the music it has created, it looks like it has successfully found its way out of the labyrinth.

Hope for Agoldensummer is not just a band with a knack for music.

The band's members are a close-knit group, whose hearts and souls are found in every chord.

The band also has a desire to make the world more eco-friendly, printing its CD booklets on recycled paper and selling organic soaps and coffee from coffee growers in Peru.

"Ariadne Thread," though not a strong departure from Hope For Agoldensummer's first album, is a great listen for a simple, relaxing day. The album plays as if it is truly from the heart - not like it was produced in a hurry.

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