A few years back Paul Westerberg released something called “49:00” which was an uninterrupted 43+ minute stream of music. Songs appeared, occasionally overlapped, and often cut out early. The music was fun and sometimes odd, but the experience of listening had an added dimension: it created the feeling of driving down the highway listening to an AM radio, so you heard whatever happened to be in range of your car’s antenna as the station signals faded in and out.
I was reminded of “49:00” while listening to the latest from GOATS (called “Far Out”) because it’s also a long, uninterrupted stream, and also adds an extra dimension to go along with the music. In this case, rather than a highway drive with the radio, it feels like you’re using your personal super power of flight and sailing along above the earth hearing many disparate sounds and occasionally dipping in on different places around the globe for a closer listen. Sometimes you’ll hear a cacophony as you float high in the sky, but then you’ll dive down briefly and focus on one or two sounds before you’re up and off again. It’s musique concrete with a vast array of elements; I heard a range of music from drones to gently strummed guitar, from a Tuvan vocalist to a family singing in their backyard, plus static, traffic, someone learning the saxophone, a psychedelic band, a church chorus, a…well you get the idea. There is a lot here fighting for your attention, and you’ll probably enjoy keying in on new elements with each listen. Don’t be afraid to soar up-up-and-away and get far out.
“Far Out” is being released soon (in a few weeks, at this writing) on Bandcamp through Submarine Broadcasting Company as a limited edition cassette and as a download.