Goat: Commune (Free MP3) Vinyl LP

From Parts Unknown. Following 2012’s elaborately psychedelic album World Music, Goat is back with even more voodoo vibes and ethnic eccentricity. Holding down the mysterious vibes with their masked performances and lack of identities, Goat has managed to carve out a cult-like status among adventurous and mystical fans alike. Commune takes a slightly more hazy tone and the lead vocals feeling a bit more distant, but all of the great hypnotic guitar parts and unconstrained percussion are alive and well. “Talk To God” starts the album off with a mesmerizing jam all built around a seemingly very simple guitar phrase. “Words” takes things into acid rock territory and adds the necessary international flair with some…finger cymbals. “Goatchild” and “Goatslaves” carry the middle of the album and show the band seems on the verge of more easily digestible pop music. The final track of the album – “Gathering Of Ancient Tribes” – brings the entire trip to a heady and triumphant conclusion as it adds layer after layer, raising your heart rate until you need to remind yourself that it’s just a drug, I mean album, and you are in total control of yourself. At this point, we should all just hold hands, drink the Kool-Aid and let Goat take us where they please.

• music label: Sub Pop Records

reviewed by boumtje-boumtje 092514