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Tag: Goggs
My top 25 albums of 2016 – #’s 10-6
We’re into the top ten!
#10 
If you know me well, then you shouldn’t be surprised that a new record by Deap Vally made it into my top test list of any given year. Femejism, besides having the greatest album title of the year, is solid beginning to end with the sizzling guitar, sexy / snarling vocals, and powerhouse drumming they do so well.
#9 
The debut LP from Goggs (or is it “G0ggs?”) is the loudest, wildest punk rock record I’ve heard all year. Ty Segall, who plays guitar on the record, has quickly become one of the most prolific artists in music, and everything he puts out is worth hearing.
#8 
Of course a Radiohead record was going to be in the top 10. A Moon Shaped Pool continues the band’s metamorphosis into this generation’s Pink Floyd. It’s beautifully crafted, but a heavy listen. It might be the saddest break-up (Thom Yorke from his long-time girlfriend) record of 2016.
#7 
“Holy crap” is the way I described my reaction upon first hearing A Tribe Called Quest‘s We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service to a friend. This friend, Dee Tension, is a hip-hop producer, beat maker, and MC in Boston, and he claimed he’d been listening to it daily since its release. You might, too, upon hearing it. It’s not only a loving tribute to founding member Phife Dawg, but also a sharp critique on race, politics, gentrification, and much more.
#6 
Speaking of great returns, Underworld had another one we needed in 2016. Barbara, Barbara, We Face a Shining Future is the most uplifting and optimistic record of the year. Every song is about seeing good times ahead and remembering how every moment is divine.
We’re almost there. Who makes the top 5? Tune in tomorrow!
Keep your mind open.
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Goggs – self-titled
Ty Segall, not content to be involved in at least three bands, has joined / started a fourth – Goggs (Charles Moothart – guitar, bass, drums, Ty Segall – guitar, bass, drums, Chris Shaw – vocals). Their first album is a bonkers rock ride not unlike an old wooden roller coaster that thrills and beats you up at the same time.
“Falling In” has a great Stooges feel to it in the bass and drums and a Sham 69 (or should I say Cult, since Shaw is the ex-Cult vocalist?) feel to the vocals. “Shotgun Shooter” has bass so loud, fuzzy, and heavy that Lightning Bolt will be envious. “She Got Harder” is snotty punk, both in the instrumentation but especially in the vocals. The way Shaw belts out the lyrics while his guitar shreds and Segall destroys his kit is great.
Speaking of drums, they’re even crazier on “Smoke the Wurm.” The self-titled track starts off weird and quirky and then turns into angry goth-punk. “Assassinate the Doctor” is just as odd. It’s almost a meltdown. “Needle Trade Off,” is back to the angry post-punk with fierce bass and lyrics practically spat into the microphone. “Future Nothing” is so old school punk that it even sounds like it was recorded in 1981.
“Final Notice” adds what sounds like old video game noises to the ritualistic beats and bizarre screams and chants. It’s a weird (mostly) instrumental that goes into the closer – “Glendale Junkyard,” which hits hard and loud before fading out with snare drum taps and distorted guitar fuzz.
This is easily the most punk record I’ve heard so far this year. It’s crazy, loud, squeaky, weird, and just what you need to drown out the noise of an election year.
Keep your mind open.
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