Over the past year and a half, there has been a great deal of contention revolving around Lydia, stemming, in part, from the departure of former vocalist Mindy White, and the hiatus assumed by the remaining members of the band after their 2010 farewell tour. Lydia’s lineup has, since their 2003 inception, been a veritable revolving door, with only two members choosing to return for this round. Ex-member Mindy White’s presence in the band, specifically on Illuminate, became an indelible point of consideration for the repertoire of the group as a whole; doubtless, many a concern has been issued as to whether her shoes could be filled. On Paint it Golden, Leighton Antelman, the founding member of the group and primary creative force behind the record, steps into the role with the utmost confidence, carrying the record with passion and nuance in both his vocals and the band’s overall musicality.

The record starts with “Hailey,” a lyrically cute number, marked from the beginning by a dark, warm piano tone, almost like the keys themselves were recorded to analog tape to achieve the sound. Vocally, the tone does purposely little to differentiate itself from that warm analog sound; the vocals are replete with a healthy amount of reverb, adding to the atmospheric quality of Lydia’s sound. Following the opener, we come to the first single on the record, “Dragging Your Feet In The Mud,” which gives us only the briefest of introductions before dropping immediately, into a,swelling, veritably epic chorus. Lyrically, the tune is positive and uplifting; musically, for better or for worse, it provides us a reference point for the rest of the record.

This reference point comes in the form of recurring musical motifs, tones, sounds, song structures, drum beats, vocal melodies and techniques, and overall songwriting. With any well written album, these things repeat themselves throughout, but just enough to make one realize that the songs all come from the same artist, while still sounding different. It is in this sense that Paint it Golden is left wanting; as the album progresses, the songs start to blend together. We find reproductions of the chorus of “Dragging Your Feet” in those of “Get it Right” and “I’ll Bite You.” The same synth tones dominate; the same, all-too-forward-in-the-mix, sampled tambourine is in nearly every song on the record. Vocally, while Antelman has an absolutely astounding performance throughout, his melodies start to repeat themselves and his technique, the vocal scoops and slides into every syllable, starts to wear with each reiteration, song after song.         

There are still a couple of standout moments on the record. “Eat Your Heart Out,” in which the album title is referenced, is marked with a jazzy keyboard tone and a switch in structures, from the straight-timed verses and choruses, to a swung bridge, back into a straight chorus. A bit of musical virtuosity is found in the form of “Seasons,” which starts as a toe-tapper, builds to a swelling chorus, then continues to change tone throughout; the bluesy guitar work and the purposeful lack of vocals really cause the instrumentation on the song to shine, making the song itself unique within the album.

It would appear that with Paint it Golden, Leighton Antelman and Craig Taylor found their comfort zone and stuck with it throughout the record. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing—the production on the album is extraordinary and the tones used really give the entire record a sense of both swelling, atmospheric grandiosity and reverb-laden warmth. However, it does take on a negative connotation when the songs start to bleed together, and that is the case with this record, more often than not.

★★★☆☆

*This review was composed by Paul Adler