Artist Profile: GoodBooks
UPDATED with a new bonus mp3 at the bottom of the post. It’s good; get on it.
Yeah, it’s finals week again. You know, that time of the semester when I actually have to buckle down and usually end up forgoing sleep for days at a time. Yeah, fun. Anyway, logical thinking would lead you to the conclusion that I would post less during this time, but I end up spending so much time listening to music in front of the computer while I work that I generally end up posting more, most likely because it allows me to take breaks from studying whilst tricking myself into thinking that I’m still being productive. I’ve got my History of Film final tomorrow at 2 PM, a ten-page German film paper due Monday and a six-piece digital art portfolio due the following week, so it’ll be a busy few days for me. Thus, this is just a preface to let you know that you’ll probably be getting a lot of posts in immediate succession today followed by a bit of a lull tomorrow, before things pick back up again on Sunday and Monday. So, without further adieu, I introduce to you my latest UK fixation, GoodBooks.
GoodBooks find themselves consistently tied to an “electronic” tag that’s a bit curious once one actually hears the band’s sound. The members do perform surrounded by a veritable fortress of synthesizers, keyboards and rhythm machines, but their sound remains one firmly rooted in guitar-based pop-rock. There’s also the misnomer that “electronic” means “dance” these days, so GoodBooks’ lack of immediate dancefloor compatibility is sure to throw some off as well. That’s not to say you’ll never hear GoodBooks on the dancefloor, as their electronic leanings and upbeat pop songs have proven to be highly remixable, evidenced by the excellent remixes of “Leni” that fluokids have thrown up over the last few days (here and here).
“Leni” happens to be their newest single, released last month as the title track of a three song EP-single, and it’s their most polished offering yet. While previous single, “Turn It Back”, remains my favorite track by the group to date, there’s a definite lo-fi feeling about it that prevents it from truly maximizing its potential and really affecting the listener. “Leni” avoids that problem, as do the rest of the tracks on that EP, with far more refined production that best makes itself known in the chorus’s fantastic ability to grab your attention as it drops away from the rest of the song trailed by that spiraling synth line. It’s that chorus that truly makes the song, and both of the aforementioned remixes frame it as the center of their respective focuses. “Leni” fails to match this excitement throughout the rest of the song, however, and ultimately suffers as a result. It’s this inconsistency that currently prevents GoodBooks from reaching their true potential, though each of their three singles have all hinted at an elusive excellence that’s yet to be fully realized. Thus, for the time being we must wait to see the direction that GoodBooks will go. “Leni” hints at a more refined, polished sound that suits the band well, but they need to establish a better consistency throughout their tracks and settle on a sound for themselves on which to concentrate their creative energy. As things stand now, GoodBooks find themselves in a tug of war between genres, with accessible vocals and a guitar-pop sensibility fitting of a mainstream hit like the Kooks or Air Traffic clashing with electronic tendencies and an undeniable remixability typically found in a dancier rock act. For now, enjoy “Leni” and their debut single “Walk With Me” below, along with free download-only second single and my favorite of the bunch, “Turn It Back”.
MP3s:
“Leni” - GoodBooks
“Turn It Back” - GoodBooks
“Walk With Me” - GoodBooks
GoodBooks teamed up with Mystery Jets earlier this year to release a special 7″ for the ‘Jets hit single, “You Can’t Fool Me Dennis”, on which the A-side was actually GoodBooks covering the Mystery Jets original. I can’t find this anywhere, so if you’ve got it I’d be forever indebted to you if you’d pass it my way. It’s available in the UK iTunes catalogue, but due to my entrapment within the United States I can do nothing more than to preview the song over and over again, hoping it will somehow wriggle free of iTunes grasp into my open arms. We all know that’s not going to happen though, so if someone out there can hook it up I’d be extremely grateful. Hit me up on AIM (screen name = DerekDavies) or shoot me an email if you’ve got it. And while I’m begging, I might as well see if anyone has an mp3 of Assembly Now’s “It’s Magnetic” out there. I can’t find this one anywhere either (except on UK iTunes of course), and I’ve got the AA-side to the single and the Luke Smith remix of the track, but I’m dying to get my hands on the original. (Thanks Sarah!)
Official reader of the month Sarah hooked me up with that Assembly Now track I asked for, so I might as well pass it on to you. It’s only the demo, but there’s really only a neglible difference between this and the final version as far as I can tell. Assembly Now have that Bloc Party urgency I love and some great lyrics on this track, so check it out.
MP3: “It’s Magnetic” (Apollo Control Demo) - Assembly Now