Goonies Never Say Die

No Words To Voice Our Hopes And Fears

Having given the world Mogwai and 65 Days Of Static, the U.K. has certainly made some essential contributions to the post-rock canon, and Blackpool’s Goonies Never Say Die are welcome additions to the fold. With a gorgeously organic sound supplemented with subtle electronica, the band manage to stride through territory inhabited by the likes of Souvenir’s Young America, the Appleseed Cast, U.K. ambient instrumentalist Rhian Sheehan and even Max Richter, whose plaintive pianos are often reflected as the band effortlessly weave their intricate compositions.

“Nothing Remains Forever Yet The Future Still Holds Hope” supplies perhaps the perfect distillation of what the band are capable of. With neo-classical piano first stirring up the drama, this is soon joined by swaths of arcing guitars that sweep and collide with one another while an insistent rhythm supplies a real sense of frustrated urgency. There are so many layers—musical and emotional—to the song that it’s quite overwhelming, and they manage this same feat repeatedly over the course of No Words To Voice Our Hopes And Fears. “This Low Point Can Only Be Followed By A High” is gloriously uplifting, existing at the other end of the emotional spectrum from “Nothing Remains Forever…,” with its delicately picked guitars suggesting Copia-era Eluvium rubbing up against Young Team-era Mogwai. The delicate melody insinuating its way through it is captivating, as is that of “I Love You But In The End I Will Destroy You,” while “Dance Parasites Of The Dysfunctional Mindset” is both agitated and eerie, again displaying another side to the band in impressive style.

If you are the kind of person who is looking for involved and ambitious music, there is so much here for you to get lost in. While the compositions are certainly complex, they are always charged with an innate sense of melody and the kind of heart that turn a good song into a great song.

Deep Elm http://www.deepelm.com

“Nothing Remains Forever Yet The Future Still Holds Hope”