Goat - Commune - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Peals - Honey [VINYL LP] date 10/02/2020

Western exports may have dominated the consciousness of international rock fans for the entirety of the 20th century, but our increasing global awareness has unearthed a treasure trove of transcendental grooves and spellbinding riffage from exotic and remote corners of the planet. Goat's previous albums World Music and Commune were perfect testaments to this heightened awareness, with Silk Road psychedelia, desert blues, and Third World pop all serving as governing forces within the band's sound. But Goat's strange amalgam isn't some cheap game of cultural appropriation - it's nearly impossible to pinpoint the exact origins of the elusive group's sound. The fact that they pledge allegiance to a spot on the periphery of our maps bolsters the nomadic quality of their sonic explorations. With Requiem, Goat continue to rock and writhe to a beat beholden to no nation, no state. Goat's only outright declaration for Requiem is that it is their InchfolkInch album, and the album is focused more on their subdued bucolic ritualism than psilocybin freakouts. But Goat hasn't completely foregone their fiery charms - tracks like InchAll-Seeing EyeInch and InchGoatfuzzInch conjure the sultry heathen pulsations that ensnared us on their previous albums. Perhaps the most puzzling aspect of Requiem comes with the closing track InchUbuntu.Inch The song is little more than a melodic delay-driven electric piano line, until we hear the refrain from InchDiarabiInch - the first song on their first album - sneak into the mix. It creates a kind of musical ouroboros - an infinite cycle of reflection and rejuvenation, death and rebirth. Rather than offering explanations for their strange trajectories, Goat create a world where the line between truth and fiction is so obscured that all you can do is bask in their cryptic genius.

It is hard to know how many times the mythology and mystery of Goat's backstory can be written about, but new 'Medicine' does away with any need to dwell on the past, returning with a more introspective, slightly mellower psych-folk sound that remains recognisably them.There is a consistently restrained, warm feel across the whole work, and the band suggest that the overall theme of the album is about Inchthe impermanence of life in different ways sickness, relationships, love, death and how our time is finiteInch.At times the album's sound has nods to classic Swedish 70s psych/prog/folk acts such as Arbete & Fritid, Charlie & Esdor and Träd, Gräs & Stenar. 'Vakna' takes on this influence, progressing across nearly six minutes of swaying, warping guitar solos, without ever breaking out into chaos. The 'Medicine' of the title may refer to a number of salves, or the value of relationships and love InchFor our families, friends, society, this could be done through the use of psychedelics, through meditation, through learning from other people, staying curious and never settling for a 'solid' identityInch.Flute is foregrounded throughout, threading across several tracks from the opener 'Impermanence And Death'. It duets elegantly with keening synth lines through the beautiful 'You'll Be Alright', and leads the melody of the closing track 'Tripping In The Graveyard'. 'TSOD', with it's backdrop of sitar and acoustic guitar, has an indelible vocal melody that could be a lost George Harrison recording.The title of the full album version of first single, 'I Became The Unemployment Office', comes from an expression for someone taking advantage of you. The joyous, echo-laden groove of penultimate track 'Join The Resistance' bursts into life and continues to build to a moment of with a huge Sabbath-esque riff.1. Impermanence & Death 2. Raised By Hills 3. I Became The Unempl