The days of crappy pop rock are soon over, especially if the band Gooding has anything to do with it. The power-trio who base their name on the frontman, singer and guitarist Gooding (yes, one word, like Madonna) have self-produced (and recorded, engineered, mixed, etc.) a record of authentic grit rock, haunting melodies, and ripping pop entitled Tiny Heart Attacks. With Jesse Reichenberger on drums and Billy Driver on bass, Gooding’s rhythms go from one extreme to the other, with each musician adding his quirky essence to this unclassifiable Kansas rock band.
The title Tiny Heart Attacks captures the fluttering instances in these songs where they completely switch gears, time signatures, rhythm, and then go back to the head. The band as a whole is momentarily hit with logic and reason or frenzy or emotion, and consistently ventures to extremes. “Junkie’s Weight,” gritty pop with a classic AABBCC formula, proves sticking to a short pop style can still allow for wide variation. “Starting in Again” and “Roadsong” are rock ballads with minor modifications, offering compelling lyrics (“I wait on pins and needles sharp and rusty, when will I see again?”), and unexpected rhythms. Gooding (the guitarist, not the band) plays with harmonics in the midst of “Again” and “Cloud Cover,” while “Mary Pickford” finds him starting with a sweet, offbeat riff, then changing from minor to major chords to achieve some sort of residual energy.
Turning corners on a dime, the moment a song sounds like Honky-Tonk southern staples, they morph it into electronic rock. Singer Gooding delivers soft, cynical “Makes Me Want You More” in a throaty, murmur of a performance. His attention to correct grammar in his lyrics (“and I know you’re smarter than I”) combined with his effortless, gruff baritone certainly up his sellable sex appeal. And greasy roots guitar opens up “Jesus Comin (And He Knows the Mess You Made”), which I now call lasso rock. While their title is humorous, the sentiments and grooves are serious. What started as an erratic pop disc unfolds into a slide-guitar, gut-bucket, emotion-spouting masterpiece.
For more info see: http://www.myspace.com/gooding
