Yet another entry into the ever-growing sea of electro-pop, Vancouver’s Gold & Youth at least have the decency to do it well. Firmly rooted in the new wave movement of the 1980s, Gold & Youth are reminiscent of Depeche Mode, New Order and even The Cure. Vocalist Matthew Lyall pulls off a damn good Morrissey-meets-Robert Smith impersonation, and the instrumentation sounds like it was done on no later than 1985. Amazingly though, nothing sounds contrived on Beyond Wilderness. Gold & Youth don’t sound like they set out to copy anyone, but rather sound truly inspired. There’s an excellent balance of frigid digital drums and warm analog-sounding keyboard textures. Despite being part of a genre that has generated more throw-away novelty crap than any other in recent years, Gold & Youth display an incredible depth in their songwriting and arrangements. Maybe it’s because they’re not from Brooklyn and can’t rely simply on being cool, or being the latest clever YouTube sensation. Either way, Beyond Wilderness is an excellent record, enjoyable throughout each of its 43 minutes. Hopefully, Gold & Youth will continue to develop as a band while avoiding the pitfalls of their contemporaries and put out pop music that is finally worth listening to. (Arts & Crafts, goldandyouth.com) Myke Lewis