El Goodo - Coyote

1. Feel So Fine
2. Aren’t You Grand
3. Don’t Worry Marie
4. I Saw Her Today
5. Information Overload
6. Talking to the Birds
7. Pete
8. I Can’t Make It
9. Be My Girl
10. Oh, to Sleep
11. I Only Dream

With the complete embodiment of late 60s-early 70s pop/rock—there’s even a Ringo throwaway on here—El Goodo fashion an imitable sound on their second album, Coyote. With an album title that doesn’t fit the music it’s depicting, in any sense of form, El Goodo try way too hard on this album’s insipid music. And though, for the first few times, this comes off as a novel and somewhat pleasant listen, repeated ventures reveal a trite idea gone wrong.

Super Furry Animals are a band that have ingeniously captured an essence and have branded that admirable style into something all their own. El Goodo’s press release attempts to familiarize one band with the other but it’s a blunt fact that the former is in another league. Take the album’s closer, “I Only Dream,” which features a worthless ten-minute gap of silence. The music begins with a folksy guitar before the band reaches for hazy vocals and lush atmospherics that The Mamas and Papas already accomplished decades ago. The ending is a swirling, baffling mash of sounds that neither impress, let alone confuse.

However, there is a good batch of songs to keep a listener locked in for a while. “Don’t Worry Marie” and “Information Overload” are sweet shuffles of earnest vocals and music that recall Spaghetti western soundtracks. While “Aren’t You Grand” is bluesy stomp, with some harmonica and harmonizing vocals for good measure. The problem lies within the band’s own identity: are they trying to sound like Jet or like Jet trying to be The Byrds? Either way, neither are good inspirations.

“Pete” is one of the few tunes that have a hint of sincerity floating around. With a crafty melody and uprising vocal progression, the song swims by with precise ease. And the album’s opener, “Feel So Fine” is a fine introduction, where even the noisy feedback is a smart move. The drums pound away as the multi-tracked vocals and fast-paced guitar take over.

With the right set of musicians and ideas, this type of sound could have surely achieved greatness. But when you get down to it, these are ideas that have not only been done before, but they were absolutely mastered, many, many years ago. And with an album that lacks any kind of bite, any sort of ferocity and a clear avoidance on bark, Coyote is a letdown. It’s this kind of music that makes some dreadful fodder like The Beep Seals seem approachable...www.adequacy.net