The debut long player from this beloved Philly sextet is shrouded in gorgeous, shimmering guitar, and is big on building lush, moody crescendos that glisten like morning grass in Fairmount. Early frontrunner for local release of the year. - Philadelphia Weekly
"Ethereal but physical, Gildon Works, hailing from Philadelphia, throws together a sound that lilts at times atmospheric, but is at its core intense, forceful and demanding. The songs are passionate, but finely crafted. Ambient noise rises and reverberates, like voices from a choir circling an empty cathedral, over songs punctuated with moments of clarity. Strong chords emerge on the first listen, but over time the songs reveal their structural and compositional intricacy, with rhythms layered and nested like Russian dolls." JMZ
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Gildon Works live @ MBN studio warehouse
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When we asked bass guitarist Cody Ferdinand of Gildon Works earlier this week if this was the band's experimental "White Album", he responded modestly by explaining that they just wanted to "keep it simple" with the red lettering on white artwork for the band's latest release, "Artful Rifle". The band are anything but simple, and "Areanum Ghost" is a great example of what is to come with its slow-buildup, wash of cymbals and guitars, and leading into "Sight Unseen"; the album takes the perfect turn into the sound of what is to define the new songs of Gildon Works. Seemingly inspired by post-punk, no-wave, and lying thoughtfully between music by artists such as Echo & The Bunnymen, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth and The Walkmen, GW uses a sharp kind of precision to accent their dreamy and affecting tones. A powerful live act, the band represents equally as well on CD leaving a heady, and strong imprint behind in their wake. "Wires With Fortune" is one of the album's many standout tracks and features beautiful backing vocals from the band's newest member, and multi-talented leading lady, Stacey Shevlin. The album's title track, "Artful Rifle", a final symphony in its own right; is a beautiful number that ebbs and swells, ending with a full, but quite nearly tragic, feeling. We suggest leaving the album on repeat, and letting Areanum Ghost play again; it's the perfect bookend from end to beginning with its uplifting and lyrical start, and as they sing, "The story's not over ..." -- Philly Girl About Town
Gildon Works, a 6 piece up and coming band from Philly, have recently released their debut album, Artful Rifle. Spacey guitars coupled with lush organs really set the tone for each song and almost come across as a grand string quartet at moments. This gorgeous sound reminiscent of Pink Floyd carries over precise rhythms that climb mountians and slide into valleys on each track. Slithering their way in between all of these elements are soft vocals that drum up feelings of The Walkmen and Editors. Make no mistake about it, Gildon Works’ Artful Rifle marks a big step for a band to look out for. -- Pasta Primavera
...The album starts out very strong, and every track has a very full, rich sound that just sort of washes over you. My mind immediately went to The Verve. Artful Rifle certainly has some of those psychedelic, ambient qualities, but with a modern ‘indie-pop’ twist akin to Arcade Fire. The track ‘Sight Unseen,’ which you can download below, is the perfect example of this. Also check out ‘Seen Pharoahs,’ and the title track ‘Artful Rifle,’ which closes out the album in dramatic fashion. -- The Broken Bell
I often get tired of describing bands by using worlds like "ethereal", "atmospheric" and "shoegaze". Yes, all of these words could be applied to "Forth But First" by Philly's Gildon Works, but none of them would really do it justice. You, my friend, will just have to listen to it and discover its beauty. However, I will say this, it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. -- The Walrus Music Blog
