Contributed by: Lynne-Anne Manochio
& id give up 4ever not to hear iris on the radio 1 more time. Radio has the awful habit of picking up a really good song & playing it over &over until it loses any shred of meaning. For that reason songs like the GGDs iris & 1996 name are misunderstood & become hated by people who might otherwise realize what an unbelievably talented band they are.
The GAD are the ultimate pop band who not only go for the hook every time, but offer listeners the added bonus of real poetry. Behind the catchy riffs have always been interesting lyrics. dating back to 93 we are the normal which was a college radio smash that cam off SSCW. For all its commercial appeal, the long awaited new album, DUTG plunges directly into the same great songwriting we've seen from this trio in the past, making it the CD to be cherished by top 40 lovers & members of the musical elite alike.
Starting with the overexposed "iris" , written by JR specially for the City Of Angels soundtrack & released before the Goo's own album, the album strikes at the emotions of the listener. JR voice is not one to be ignored, with its impassioned scratchiness & sad sincerity.
But the GGD are much more than some of the heavy rotation, the next big single radio listeners are liable to get sick of its SLIDE. Its the 2 song on the CD to suck you in with its super catchy beat, right after the feel good sing along opener dizzy about a girl too serious for her own good.
JR has this amazing ability to write words that stick in your head on first listen. Perhaps its the childlike rhyme scheme in lyrics such as everything you are/falls from the sky like a star/everything you are/whatever you want, that make it so easy to remember.
Rating #1 on the album is Acoustic #3 a gorgeous ballad in which JR, his guitar &violin & cello strings strum their way into your heart in under 2 min. its a perfect opportunity for the chicks (or dicks) who are unacquainted with the spiky hair singer to reveal in his sensitivity & develop that inevitable crush which leads to true goo loyalty. What person with a soft bone in their body could be adverse to (and I wonder where these dreams go/ when the world gets in your way/whats the point in all this screaming/no ones listening anyway/when its attached to a lovely melody? Not the typical guy music/you wont see any moshing or headbanging going on at one of their shows.
Goo tunes are for the more sophisticated, taking fans on a journey through the sky and heaven &stars & angels, love & hope & sorrow & death, along the way, you may be inclined to become enraptured in the poetic passages, backing up your CD to the previous track up to 4 or 5 times. The very song titles tell you this is music that goes beyond its pop facade & into a deeper more exclusive world that needs examination. "Black Balloon, Jan. Friend & Extra Pale", despite there instant hook cant compare to the bubble gum pop crap bands such as Back Street Boys or the spice girls with their shallow lyrics & shameful popularity.
Its taken the Goo's along time to be accepted unconditionally by MTV, commercial radio and people. Most dedicated websites provide little in-depth info and seem to be kept by fans who feel in love with iris. As you cant pass one by without the lyrics to the songs smacking you in the face. But without the success of that song & that of their last album A Boy Named Goo one can only imagine the fame in store for the boys from buffalo.
DUTG guitar driven base hard rock, acoustic diversity & radio friendliness can only mean we will be seeing lots of goo everywhere. Don't be surprised to see the resources of some of their old stuff like I'm awake now, from the Nightmare ON Elm Street 6 soundtrack, or their cover of the RS Bitch on the for aids no alternative record. Ultimately, its a good thing to see a band with real talent get noticed if by the pop consuming masses. Next time you hear this really great song on the radio but you don't know who sings it, brace yourself, its probably off DUTG and probably done by a band named goo.