GOAT Vinyl & CDs

Review: Goat's latest eponymous album continues their enigmatic journey through the realms of mysticism and musical exploration. The Ouroboros, symbolising eternal cycles of death and rebirth, perfectly encapsulates the band's ever-evolving sound. Building on their previous worksilike the introspective Medicine and the haunting soundtrack to The Gallows Poleithis release dives deep into rhythmically charged, ritualistic grooves with a blend of infectious funk and transcendent psychedelia. Tracks like 'One More Death' and 'Goatbrain' set the tone with their hedonistic funk and aggressive guitar fuzz, resonating with long-time fans. Meanwhile, 'Fools Journey' offers a meditative experience with its free jazz influences and shamanic textures, reminiscent of their side project Djinn. 'Frisco Beaver' revisits the party vibes of 2012's World Music, while 'Zombie' and 'Ouroboros' merge hip hop elements with celebratory chants and energetic breakbeats. As Brad Dourif's character from Wiseblood wisely notes, the journey is about finding escape and renewal. With this album, Goat delivers an exhilarating experience, reinforcing their status as pioneers in the psychedelic and ritualistic music landscape. This pressing on vinyl offers a fitting tribute to their dynamic legacy.

Review: Goat returns with their latest self-titled album, the third in as many years, to ecstatic fans of the band. This ever-enigmatic collective continues to push boundaries, delivering a record that blends rhythmically intense rituals with an unmistakable energy that both invigorates dancefloors and stimulates the mind. The album kicks off with 'One More Death' and 'Goatbrain,' two tracks that capture Goat's hedonistic spirit through sharp funk grooves and guitars drenched in fuzz and wah. These tracks set the tone for an album that never shies away from exploration. The closing track, 'Ouroborus,' inspired by the ancient symbol of cyclical rebirth, showcases the band's love for hip hop, combining infectious chants with relentless breakbeats reminiscent of Lalo Schifrin's work. This finale brings the journey full circle, echoing the idea of endless renewal. Goat's new album continues to affirm their dedication to transcendence and transformation, offering listeners a potent escape into a world where the only constant is change.

Review: Japanese percussive and rhythmic experts Goat have finally graced us with a new album. It's taken around eight years to materialise, and band leader Koshiro Hino apparently described the process as "90% pain", which sounds like there's quite the tale to tell. No doubt all will be revealed to fans in due course, but for now let's just say one of the world's most enigmatic, talented (read: unfathomably tight) and complex groups are back on incredibly fine form. As ever with this crew, attempting to come up with reference points to guide would-be-buyers as to wether this is for them feels redundant simply because it should be impossible not to find Joy In Goat captivating. Fans of Miles Davis and Autechre alike should be bowled over, with highly technical, drum-led arrangements that sound like they could only possibly be machine made coming out of what is essentially a piece of expressive performance art on record.

Review: Swedish psychedelic rock band Goat are currently in the middle of a worldwide tour, in recent months introducing their masked, anonymous live shows to festival punters. These shows take on an ensemble, ritual atmosphere, much to the bemused chagrin of consumer audiences, and their recorded albums are no less indicative of their related themes: spirituality, nature, play, death. Recorded across many different locations including Sweden, Brazil, India and Japan, Medicine is their latest opus, whereupon they channel a well-structured form of 70s-style prog to play up the cyclical nature of identity, a fact of life which is lost on most people. To quote the band - for our families, friends, society, this could be done through the use of psychedelics, through meditation, through learning from other people, staying curious and never settling for a 'solid' identity.