You’re already aware of Woodkid, in one way or another. As Yoann Lemoine—his real name—he directed several music videos, including Lana Del Rey’s “Blue Jeans” and Drake’s “Take Care,” and has been nominated for a Best Music Video Grammy for his own song “Run Boy Run.” As Woodkid, his music has been featured in Django Unchained and sampled by musicians like Kendrick Lamar. That’s a pretty impressive resume for a musician that has yet to release a full length album.
And yet, these accomplishments seem dwarfed by the grandiose scale of Woodkid’s debut album The Golden Age, which is sprawling, maximalist, epic. Take the first single, “Iron,” which previously appeared on Woodkid’s Iron EP, but is the penultimate song here. It samples a 17th century piece originally written for Queen Mary’s funeral, and manages to accentuate the grandiosity of the brass and drums, yet sounds gentle enough not to drown out Woodkid’s singing.
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The Golden Age is maximalist singer/songwriter wall of sound music. Sometimes you can make out a medieval chorus faintly in the background, and sometimes it’s so prominent that it can’t be ignored. All the pieces are united under Woodkid’s vocals, which match the emotional need of the production, and yet withhold enough not to seem melodramatic.
Noisey has obtained a stream of The Golden Age and we are ready to release its pounding drums on the universe. Listen to the entirety of The Golden Age below, and preorder it here. It drops tomorrow, March 19.
