Goose “Goose” (Dry FLOWER Records, 2004):

There’s no other way to say it: this is an amazing album; for what it contains, for what was happening at the time, and for everything that came after. The story of Thailand’s first real post-rock band Goose doesn’t have an especially happy ending, at least in terms of the band as a whole (more on that in a later post). However, we should thankful their all-too-brief career gave us a scattering of amazing gigs, and two incredible recordings: their second album “20 Guns Pointing In Your Face” (smallroom, 2005), and their debut “Goose” which I will review here.

But first a brief recap for those who missed them the first time around. Goose formed in 2002, 2003 or 2004 (accounts vary!), influenced by a wide range of bands including Radiohead, Sigur Ros, and Mogwai, and consisted of Nares “Tong” Virojtanachai (vocals, guitar), Bancha “Nimp” Thearakrit (sound effects, guitar), Annop “Art” Musigapodok (guitar), Anupas “Kong” Premanuwat (bass), and Appichat “Ba” Ngaloet (drums). In 2004 they sent a demo of their first album to Fat Radio along with a packet of painkillers, for in their words: “There’s nothing wrong with being dark. We want to represent darkness as well.” (Pravattiyagul, 2006).

The song list for “Goose” is worth going over in full just because of the amazing diversity and quality of the material present on the album:

• Sat Pha (“Wild Animal”) – First track out of the blocks is a snarling instrumental wail of six-string noise that regularly collapses into militaristic drum-rolls and then an acoustic outro with Tong howling wordlessly over the top.
  
  
• Roy Reng (“Tired”) – Layers of guitar sounds, skittering effects, and processed vocals continue to mount up until the song takes flight in a howl of stomping distortion.
  
  
• Another Try – One of my favorites. Starts off mellow but this is just to lull you into a false sense of security before biting walls of guitar noise make for a particularly crunchy chorus: “Give it another try!”
  
  
• Gern Jat Khao Jai (“Too Much To Understand”) – Almost trip-hop with a peaceful vibe that meanders along at the pace of a Bangkok afternoon taxi-ride.
  
  
• Stone – Killer instrumental jam that loops continuously around twin lead guitar solos. Another favourite.
  
  
• Khao Wong-kot (“Maze”) – Intricate instrumental acoustic piece that lightens the mood somewhat before…
  
  
• Ting Chan Whai (“Leave Me Here”) – One of the two tracks from this album that got heavy rotation on indie radio, this is an off-kilter discordant rant against a life left behind. The interplay between Tong’s vocals and Art’s lead guitar melodies is awesome!
  
  
• Phlung (“Mistake”) – Starts off as a weird futuristic Siamese soundscape before Ba’s drums kick in and the whole thing bounces away in head-butting punk guitar noise.
  
  
• Wake In Peace – Another weird trippy song that wanders through a despondent guitar-hum, with Tong chanting: “Don’t let me down”
  
  
• Fake Star – More excellent acoustic work that is very reminiscent of the Red House Painters in tone, finishing on Tong’s coda: “We go underground.”
  
  
• Sing Di Di (“Good Thing”) – The second indie radio favourite track is full of gentle vocal harmonies, sparkling guitars and a steady drum-beat that all point to that most influential of guitar bands, My Bloody Valentine. Live covers by other bands exist!
  
  
• For Mom – The closing track is a mellow lamentation made more sinister through Nimp’s disturbing sound experimentations…
  
  

I missed their gig at the 2004 Fat Festival, but Andrew Hiransomboon mentioned them in his Bangkok Post column of the time, describing them as Sonic Youth-like and the best thing he’d seen in Bangkok for a while. Forewarned, I saw their next gig at Noriega’s on Silom Soi 4 where I purchased “Goose” and somehow spirited it home through meter-less taxi blockades and police check-points. I have no idea how you can get a copy, as all 1000 CDs were apparently sold-out. Perhaps email their old label SO::ON Dry Flower? 

- AW   

References

Pravattiyagul, O. (2006, February 1). “It’s Raining Geese”, Bangkok Post, Outlook p. 1.