Goner
How Good We Had It
BiFocal Media
There aren’t many bands these days doing what Goner is doing: moog driven, jangly guitars with poppy hooks and lo-fi production values. How Good We Had It owes a lot to the mid to late 1990s indie rock scene, a la Yo La Tengo, Death Cab For Cutie, the Rentals, Weezer and even That Dog.
The good thing about Goner’s style though, is that it’s devoid of the pretension that was often common in this kind of music during the 1990s. It’s fairly evident from the way that these guys deliver their music that they enjoy doing it, and they’re not just out to get chicks. For the most part, much like Weezer, every single song on the album is a veritable sing along, with not a single track coming off as filler. The guitars are rather samey throughout, and the drums are a bit buried, with the stars being the perfectly sounding synthesizer and the lead vocalist’s warm, buttery voice.
As a whole, I feel that How Good We Had It is a fun glimpse back at time long past, the magical and curious later part of the 1990s. I’m not sure how “the kids” will like this, given that it’s a bit dated, but people old enough to have witness the era will probably really like it, simply for nostalgia’s sake. This one is totally worth picking up, for sure.
BiFocal Media: http://www.bifocalmedia.com/
