The word Goonies derives from a 1985 movie of the same name. The title referred to seven young adventurers from the Goon Docks neighbourhood in Astoria, Oregon on a quest for lost treasure. Goonies Never Say Die (GNSD) was the rallying cry of these brattish teenagers and is also a fairly dumb name for this post rock band from Blackpool, England.
GNSD's first album of "cinematic instrumental" music (In A Forest Without Trees) was originally released as a free download in September 2009 and achieved enough positive feedback to generate this sequel. According to guitarist Barry Parkinson, their debut conveyed the hope and excitement of starting out on a journey while this album takes them into darker waters.
To emphasise this point, the artwork depicts the band idling on a beach as a H-bomb explodes in the distance while the album cover shows violent waves battering against the coastline. Titles like I Love You But In The End I Will Destroy You and Dance Parasites Of The Dysfunctional Mindset also make it clear that wholesome family entertainment is not on the agenda.
As a general rule, the lack of vocals in a band is either an artistic statement or signifies the fact that the band couldn't find a singer. I suspect that nine times out of ten the latter is the case. Whatever is true of GNSD, the album's title addresses the dilemma of how to find expression without words.
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One way they compensate for the absence of lyrics is to give most of the ten tracks lengthy titles (Paul being the exception to prove the rule). Mainly, however, they set about the challenge of wordless emotion with a dynamic sound that sets out to blast you into submission. Unfortunately, the result is so focused on power and energy that any subtle emotional nuances get drowned out.
Quieter moments are dominated by the piano but these are merely brief moments of calm between another round of relentless power chords. When experienced in a live setting I am sure these tunes are rousing enough but on record there need to be more shades of grey in between the black and white. Volume does not equal visionary.
This is a solid album that the band have every right to be proud of and I suppose that, when abbreviated, GNSD does look a bit like GYBE. Prospective listeners should be warned, however, that the similarities begin and end there.
GNSD website
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