Gøggs is the Garage Rock supergroup of Chris Shaw, Charles Mootheart, and Ty Segall. Now, they've been around a few years now, and upon their arrival I honestly was ecstatic to hear these guys, being a fan of all three. But their self-titled album from a few years ago just really didn't stick with me at all. The material here was rough and chaotic, but it was also sloppy and more often than not just sounded like a few friends jamming. Which, on paper, sounds fucking great. But the songwriting was iffy, and all three of these men I had heard more impressive stuff from. So Gøggs are back with their second album, and I'm diving in headfirst! Let's chat!
Well, hearing a very stripped down intro isn’t exactly where I expected to hear this album startup. Hell, even when things do pick up a bit, I love how much more calculating this track is compared to the Garage Rock leftovers that was Gøggs debut. This one eventually does pick up and take off a little into a fairly standard sound for the boys. And it’s just sort of alright. Like, I can absolutely get down to this, and I dig the off-the-rails feel. But this still just sounds like scraps and bits from the past of these artists that were recycled. But hey, “Pre Strike Sweep” at least as some meat to it. This one has a real groove to it, and doesn’t sound like anything that any of these guys have ever touched. When it comes to the vocals here, I feel like Chris Shaw almost has a Punk edge to his performance. And honestly, it sounds awesome. It almost reminds me of a cleaned up version of Ty Segall’s “Slaughterhouse”. And it’s just the sort of wild, raucous track I needed to hear right about now. And yea, you can argue that this could be grimier. But I’m happy with the results of how this one came out. But Gøggs throw it out the window with “Still Feeding”. This is just awkward and just a reminder of everything I wasn’t into about the band’s debut. There’s this off-kilter funk which I feel like could have been done so much better, and Chris is right back to sound just so faceless. I literally have nothing else to say about this. I can’t even vibe out to this. Then we have “Space Rinse”, and to say that this isn’t exciting and wild I would be lying. But to say that this stands out in any of these men’s discographies, would even be more of a lie. Sure, the riff is solid and this is a sweaty vibe that’s needed in Garage right now. But the songwriting is average, and I just feel like this is so unfocused.
“CTA” may be a left turn in the album, but it’s a fascinating one. There are some Post-Punk influences, and Chris on vocals here sounds like an absolute freak of nature in the best way. This one is so freakish and wild, and absolutely much grimier than other tracks here. This is a really weird experiment for Gøggs, but at the very least they’re showing off their weird personalities which is what this album needs in a big way. “Vanity” brings back in tons of feedback, which shouldn’t really shock you guys if you know who we’re dealing with. And no, it’s really not that pretty. But like, that’s really all we’re getting here. Most of the time, I would be thrilled to have these three wailing away on their instruments like madmen. But this continues to sound like leftovers for me, riffs and solos that didn’t belong anywhere to begin with. And yea, I do think some of Chris’s very tortured vocals are actually really fantastic, everything else here just seems so average. Once again, things are certainly helped by the off-the-rails portion towards the end. But once again, this doesn’t showcase any personality whatsoever. The pummeling riffs just keep on hitting harder and harder with “Disappear”. And yea, this one actually is pretty good. Between Chris’s much more freakish performance and backing vocals from Ty, this one seems like one of the more complete thoughts. I love how over-the-top the instrumental comes off, as it often just comes off like it’s about ready to fly off the rails completely. At the end of the day, this is the type of controlled chaos I crave in Garage. And that last solo? Boys, that’s all gravy. “Burned Entrance” continues to be much more in the right direction. This one is upbeat and streamlined, but everything here is turned up all the way. The guitars are wailing, the solos are over the top, and each of these legends put in a little of their personality here, which makes this come off so much more in the right wheelhouse. The aggression in Chris’s voice once again a BIG plus, it takes this from a Garage Rock to a Garage Punk album very quick. And honestly, it’s a great sound.
This trip still continues to push the envelope however and go for a slew of different sounds with “Ruptured Line”. And I do have to tip my hat, they’re certainly trying. But that doesn’t excuse just how awkward some of these tracks come off. This one has this mishmash of ideas that honestly by themselves may not be terrible. It’s got this sleek, mysterious groove of a Post-Punk tune, but also has this very combustible Hardcore and Post Hardcore sound to it. All of that with eery instrumental these guys can possibly fit in floating in and out. And honestly, like I said there are some good ideas here. But on their own, it’s nothing more than a cheap thrill that details very quickly. It’s when these guys sort of drop all of this shtick and just go with what we expect that this album does get good for a few minutes. “Funeral Relief” takes all the wild Punk energy that has been showing up from time to time, and has this one long release. And here, some of the left-field guitars and experimental nature of it all, actually makes this one stick out. It’s certainly an interesting take, and in moments like this, I feel like Gøggs has a sound that isn’t some Frankenstein’s monster of Garage Rock. And to be honest, “Morning Reaper” has a lot of the same qualities of the last track. Like, I give this album credit, it’s fiery. But I thought that last track was such a decent look into this sound, that this one just falls short so much. Some of these extended solos just seem so indulgent and seem a little out of place. I think the energy to this one is on point. But between you and me, there are just so many better Garage Rock albums you can listen to that are much more exciting than this.
Rating: 6.7/10
Give A Listen To: “Pre Strike Sweep”, “CTA”, “Disappear”, “Burned Entrance”
Least Favorite Track: “Still Feeding”
Genre: Garage Rock / Garage Punk
Overall Thoughts: It’s alright. Like that’s all I can say about this project. Sure, the energy and fierce riffs are all over the place, and I do like the Punk edge to this album. So clearly, this is better than their completely forgettable and faceless debut. However, this is still a mixed bag of Garage Rock. Half of these riffs and hooks just feel like they are completely recycled, bits and pieces of songs that just weren’t enough to get on to these guys other projects. It’s not the worst thing you’ll hear in Garage this year, but there are dozens of better albums.
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