now!
There’s much to like about this little band from the boondocks of Idyllwild, California. Throw The Goat offers a blend of punk, stoner, and heavy rock in a rather intriguing package with Black Mountain. It’s like a mash up of Ramones, Motorhead, and maybe some Kyuss.But, ultimately, I think Throw The Goat simply wants to be a good rock band. Their take may be on the heavy, sometimes stoner, side, but they delivers some deep rockin’ grooves. You get this at the start with Southeast Bound, but also later on Predictable, I
Always Lie, and Havin’ A Beer. The rock also gets punked out across the album, but to a greater degree on a song like Excuses. And you got to love the Goat’s sense of humor: consider Beef, an ode to red meat and the simplistic Havin’ a Beer, a chant to suds lovers everywhere.
Additionally, Throw The Goat’s musicianship is quite surprising, essentially very good, especially the rhythm section and the guitar leads (check out One Sock), which vary between traditional and sometimes stoner psychedelic. The production is crisp, but still brings out the rawness necessary for their punk side. The wild card here may be Mike Schnalzer’s vocals, which are all over the place. He’s growls, screams, and sometimes sings; I think he’s going after the whole punk thing. He can be melodic as on Too Late. After a couple a spins, however, he got a little tiring, especially when it sounds like all screaming as on I Always Lie. But the weird thing is that most of these songs would not sound the same without his style.
Throw The Goat’s Black Mountain stands up well against conventional and current offerings in the modern rock scene. These guys are both good and different, entertaining and challenging. Recommended.
1. Southeast Bound
2. Too Late
3. Predictable
4. Excuses
5. Let It Rot
6. Break The Mirror
7. One Sock
8. Beef
9. I Always Lie
10. Last Call
11. Havin’ A Beer