Upon signing to Matador, The Goon Sax went and dropped "In The Stone", a number that sounds a helluva lot like band member Louis Forster's dad's old band, The Go-Betweens. The Goon Sax, hotly tipped, actually deliver quite a lot of sounds here on Mirror II, but they do recall stuff from Robert Forster. I just can't escape it. Well, it's a good thing I was a huge fan of The Go-Betweens, and all the other, noisier bands whose outputs informed this release. Which is all to say that Mirror II is the product of this lot's influences, but it still treads new paths.
Where this band really cuts loose on Mirror II is on the proto-disco of "Tag", a selection where Riley Jones' vocals recall those of the late Anita Lane at times. The cut, sinewy as hell, veers into territory that suggests many an afternoon was spent listening to early New Order too. Still, for every cut like that there's one like "The Chance" where things take a decidedly Eighties turn. When I say that, I'm referring to the Eighties of The Blue Orchids and Felt, of course. The Goon Sax are quite content to let things unravel only to rave up a bit, or to pursue an odd down-tempo hook to its weird end.
Mirror II is a faintly schizophrenic record. In a sense, it's a huge leap forward from 2018's We're Not Talking, though a churlish listener could say that the band still sounds like it's finding its way. I mean, the stylistic changes within "Bathwater" are jarring enough, but when sat next to "Desire" on the record, they're a bit more harsh. This composition, anchored by Jones' fine vocals, sees a Disintegration-style keyboard figure do as much of the lifting here as Forster and James Harrison. If I don't entirely love the middle stretch of Mirror II, I do enjoy the way things are wrapped up here.
On "Til Dawn", there seems to be some resolution to the furtive mixing of genres prior to this on the record. This one, with its naive keyboard intrusions, is a nice bit of indie, both DIY in spirit, and bolder still. I mean, the coda here is simply breathtaking, a real bit of gorgeousness at odds (wonderfully) with the skittering figures before it. Similarly, the goofy "Caterpillars", the album closer, is equal parts Spinning Coin and TeenCanteen, even as things stumble close to Half Japanese here. In this one, The Goon Sax sound at ease. When they try to sound serious, they aren't nearly as interesting to me as they are here, with the song practically unravelling around them. More of this next time please!
Mirror II is out on Friday via Matador Records.
More details on The Goon Sax via the official Facebook page.
[Photo: Matador]