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Before
I start I have to admit that I am and always have been a big fan of this
band so this review may be a wee bit biased.
Right from the very first song I ever heard from them I've never been
disappointed by any of their material. I knew that I could go out and
get this album buy it in the safe knowledge that I would love it. You
know what, I was right too. Not only do I love it but I love it more
than I could have ever imagined. It's everything I could have hoped for
and so much more.
The Goo Goo Dolls are one of those bands that everybody's heard of but
you never really hear people talk about. Why is that? A lot of their
songs have hit the mainstream airwaves and charts across the globe.
There's more than a few clubs I know play their material and see a fair
number of people get up purposely to dance to them. Maybe I'm biased by
over here in the UK I don't think they get the press exposure they
deserve.
OK, enough of my ranting, you wanna hear about the album right? Well if
you're already familiar with the band then you'll already have a fair
idea what they're all about. But if you're not then let me tell you that
this is one of the most addictive albums I've come across all year.
The songs sound rich and smoothly produced. A winning mixture of punchy
beats and upbeat tempos. They really do squirrel their way into your
brain and gently tease you into submission. Very soon you'll find you
can no longer resist their calling and like me you too will feel
compelled to sing along to each and every song.
The moods change ever so slightly between songs and it's this diversity
that keeps this album sounding so fresh and crisp. It's songs like these
that have influenced the new breed of modern thinking rockers that have
been appearing over the years. Bands such as Blow Up who have amassed
quite a following in their short life and who are destined to go far if
they follow this tried and tested route taken by The Goo Goo Dolls.
Opening with the huge track 'Big Machine' with it's catchy mid-tempo
beat, the album progresses through to the lush acoustically driven
melody of 'Think About Me'. Although spoilt for choice, it's the third
track off the album, 'Here Is Gone', that the band have decided to
release as the single.
It may be lead singer John Rzeznik's voice that most people will
identify as the signature on the hits that make them pure Goo Goo Dolls
classics, but you know I'm kinda taken with the raspy chords of Robby
Takac. He gives the album and the songs another dimension and brings
with him a power pop/punky sound that makes them simply bounce.
It's these subtle changes in tempo and styles that make this album so
enjoyable. You've still got your big stadium classics in there, but
you've also got a whole lot more and all in all it comes across as a
really enjoyable listen.
These guys really are the godfathers of this genre of rock music as far
as I'm concerned. They've worked hard, they've put in the years and paid
their dues and they come up with the goods each and every time.
Thankfully rather than churn out mass produced albums every year they
wait until the songs are ready and let what talents mother nature gave
them shine out through their music.
It's so hard to try and name the highlights on this album because to me
the whole album is a highlight. It's like a treasured gem that I hold in
my collection. I can honestly say that not one day has passed since it
came out without me listening to this album. In truth it was more the
fact that I couldn't stop listening to it that was the only reason it's
taken me so long to actually sit down and review it!
If you're curious about this band and haven't heard anything by them
before then this is the ideal album to start you off with. This album
includes some wonderful rich layering of the vocals, lyrics that share
with you some raw naked emotions, and some great guitar and drums pieces
which melt themselves into the very soul of the songs. It's fresh and
modern sounding without selling out to the massed produced. If you liked
'Dizzy Up The Girl' you're gonna go wild about this one.
All I need now is for them to tour the UK to promote this new album and
actually venture up North and I'll be one hell of a happy bunny. I
wonder if they know how to find Newcastle on the map?
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