Summer Hymns – Value Series Vol 1: Fool’s Gold

When I spoke with Summer Hymns last July, the ever-evolving Athens, Ga. band had just released the countryish, Clemency. But frontman Zachary Gresham was already thinking of the next project. He said he’s written a lot of songs on a Yamaha keyboard and that they sounded like somebody exiled on a desert island with a few monkeys and, perhaps, a half-monkey woman. Though I can’t say how much the project’s end result adheres to the original plan, Fool’s Gold—with its mellow guitars, sparkly non-abrasive synthesizers and dreamy songwriting—is a perfect mix of heartfelt honesty and utter ridiculousness. Exactly what’s to be expected from a group whose singer/guitarist and drummer once played in a band called Conway Titty.