The Golden Hour, set for June 11 release, demonstrates what happens when musical masters of two different generations venture fearlessly off their regular career paths, hightail it into a live-in-the-studio session with a powerhouse ensemble, and create a momentum-shifting project that puts them on fresh creative trajectories. Saxophonist/entrepreneur Dave Koz and hipster funk/jam band guitarist Cory Wong (Vulfpeck, the Fearless Flyers, Cory and the Wongnotes) may seem an unlikely pair, but together they imbue the album with a hard-edged spontaneous combustion and wind-in-your-hair carefree coolness. They’re backed by Wong’s 10-piece band, which includes a horn section arranged by Michael Nelson, Prince’s chief horn arranger.
Today, as the album pre-order launched, the two-GRAMMY nominated artists shared the exuberant first single, “Today,” and the accompanying video, which premiered on Wong’s YouTube channel.
To celebrate the release of The Golden Hour, Koz and Wong will play the entire album live from the rooftop of a houseboat, cruising Minneapolis’ St. Croix River at sunset. The livestream concert, which will feature Wong’s band, can be seen on Looped on Saturday, June 12.
“Recording The Golden Hour was the most fun I’ve ever had in the studio. It was also the most terrifying, but in a good way, because it was all about being vulnerable and having to stand on my own musical instincts, with everyone jamming on the arrangements at the same time,” recalls Dave Koz.
Cory Wong – who produced the album, co-wrote 10 of its 11 tracks, and played electric guitar, among other instruments – adds, “Besides ‘The Golden Hour’ being one of Dave’s favorite songs on the album, the term conjures up an image of a quintessential part of the day, either the afternoon before sunset or just after the sun comes up. That moment is about capturing warmth and authenticity when you feel so alive and full of energy, excited about what the future may hold. It’s that intersection between night and day, a transitional moment where momentum shifts from one thing to another.”
The Golden Hour – Track Listing
1. Today
2. Getaway Car
3. Feed The Id
4. The Golden Hour
5. Junkyard Dunebuggy
6. Little Rascals
7. Family Reunion
8. Engine 71
9. Your Side of Town (Art of Key Noise) feat. Phoebe Katis
10. Together Again
11. Gratitude
