Who? Hailing from the village of Resolven in South Wales, the five members of El Goodo clearly spent more than a few rainy afternoons listening to their parents’ Beatles and Byrds records, and now they’ve recorded their own album of psych pop — El Goodo, just released on Empyrean Records. El Goodo’s multi-instrumentalist members (who don’t use their last names) share guitar, keyboard, and percussion duties. Pixy, Jason, and Matty all sing, too, while Elliot mans the drum kit and Lewie handles guitars and effects.
What’s the Deal? El Goodo takes a page from the neo-psychedelia of the Elephant 6 collective, embellishing classic pop tunes with samples, banjos, and quirky percussion. The album opens with “Life Station,” a song that builds slowly, layering fuzzy feedback with Hammond organ and hand claps. It’s followed by ’60s throwback “Surreal Morning,” which teems with peppy guitars and vocal harmonies, and later on the album, El Goodo nod to the Velvet Underground with “Here It Comes,” a song emulating the tempo and guitar work of the Velvet’s 1967 classic, “Heroin.”
Fun Fact: El Goodo are pals with another Welsh band, Super Furry Animals. Last year, the two groups toured together, and El Goodo got its European release on the Furries’ own label, Placid Casual. CHRISTINE RICHMOND
Now Hear This: El Goodo – “If I Were A Song” (Download MP3)
Talk: How good-o is this album? COMMENT
On the Web: elgoodo.com
