A compass to fulfillment

Goose strikes again with its fluidly diverse plethora of genres in their newest album, Shenanigans Nite Club. Bridging a five-year gap between their last full-length album, Shenanigans Nite Club collectivizes several songs written over the past nine years as a band. It presents a path before you, one of a quest for fulfillment in life and all that encompasses the journey itself. Not only does it take your hand and guide you, but it tips its cap to the important figures who assisted.

There were several wins for the art community during the pandemic, including the rise of Goose. Fueled by their desire to create, the band’s oddly timed rise saw unbecoming success with sold-out shows in the Fall of 2020 and a new tour in 2021. The Connecticut-borne group sought out an opportunity that many fell short upon, and that was to create music that balanced a reflection of the past and acknowledged the future. Nonetheless, their chemistry is astounding, a kind only fermented from small-town long-time friendship, which only heightens their musical ability.

Shaving off the top is a bit of funk, where the second track, “(s∆tellite),” basks in this and extends its welcome a bit far. Traversing hypnotic sonic waves of intrigue, this song dictates an instrumental capacity Goose hasn’t brought to light before. “Spirit Of The Dark Horse” trots an identical journey, adding a spot of darkness to their quest for fulfillment.

People often find that songs longer than five minutes can be a turn-off for listeners, but some bands have no limit to their recording abilities and will breach that threshold with ease. “Madhuvan” and “The Labyrinth” are two cases of this ability. “Madhuvan” takes a smooth, open road and rolls gracefully off the cascading bass lines and technical abruptions that make their appearance. “The Labyrinth” tokens itself to a more suspenseful ambiance, ever-building upon the apparent back-and-forth of guitar lines and sporadic drums accented by hallowing echoed vocals. While both are escapades in their own fashion, they are not restrained to one mood but rather seem to be a combination of multiple ideas into one long track.

Shortening the fuse a bit, “SOS” gets caught in its own grooves, struggling to find a rhythm to hold on to. It’s catchy, though it loosens its grip quickly with an over-experimental track layout. Any musician’s attempt to improvise within their work should be recognized, though it requires the right execution to sound fluid. “(dawn)” follows a similar path, splitting into different experiments that can be confusing, though has its moments of clarity in certain merges of these paths. Nevertheless, Rick Mitarotonda’s vocals shine brightly throughout, and they are only heightened by Peter Anspach and his own guitars.

Goose traverses high and low in this endeavor, capturing different genres and collaging them into one nine-track wonder. While their improvisational nature might be confusing at times, Goose’s unbecoming success in the past year and devotion to Shenanigans Nite Club are only beneficial to the group as a whole.