Goes Cube – In Tides and Drifts

Found in Translation

Singer/guitarist David Obuchowski struck gold in 2006 when he created a guitar-and-Casio remix of reality TV lunatic Marguerite Perrin shouting “She’s not Christian!” While it had nothing to do with the music of Goes Cube, it did garner him some notoriety and helped finance the Brooklyn trash-grunge trio’s first professional recording. In 2011 they released their second full-length album, In Tides and Drifts. In every way, it demonstrates how far the band has come since their early “2-piece and a drum machine” beginnings.

Goes Cube, who took their name from a misfired Babelfish back-translation of “go die” (from English to German and back), have a reputation for infusing punk and metal influences with melodies reminiscent of early grunge. In Tides and Drifts takes a few songs to reveal this, instead beginning with three short screamers like “Safety Coffin,” a tune designed to get your blood pumping in preparation for the rest of the album. On the fourth track, “Year of the Human,” things finally quiet down a little as Obuchowski lightly sings “What have we got to show for all this fucking time?” with nice, thick reverb.

Tides then grows more and more interesting with each song. Folk singer Jaymay provides guest vocals on two numbers, and the mix works especially well on the title track that closes the album. Tides has a well-engineered sound, and along with the dynamic changes and melodies, Goes Cube separate themselves from the pack. It takes Obuchowski and company a little too long to show this hand, but once they do it’s well played indeed.