Googon: Googon (Pop Affliction Records) Album Review
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
Holy smokes! This is a time machine journey back to the early 80s. Googon hits the ball out of the park on this self-titled release that any punk afficionado would swear is 40 years old. In true hardcore punk style, the entire album clocks in at under 15 minutes but there is a lot that is going on in that time. Updated production value make this a joy to listen to.
Unfortunately, punk rock has been tainted by pop influences and morphed into a form of cloying bubble gum music devoid of energy and soul. Then along comes Googon and completely turns my world upside down. I didn’t think any band today could really capture the true essence of early 80s punk again but I was dead wrong. There is more energy on this release than the Three Gorges Dam in the Hubei Province in China. From the first note to the last, Googon delivers haymaker after haymaker in a punk rock frenzy that will have any listener considering getting in the pit.
The album kicks off with a Minor Threat style intro consisting of just drums and some atonal base. Then, at the 16 second mark, the guitar and vocals kick in on Elmer Fudds Stutter. In an attempt to provide accuracy, Elmer Fudd did not stutter, he had a lisp and a speech impediment. Porky Pig was the Looney Tunes character with the stutter. Now that we got that out of the way, back to the music. I don’t have a lyric sheet so I honestly have no idea what most of the lyrics are. It doesn’t matter. The song just works perfectly. In the words of Billy Joel, (yes, irony intended) I like you just the way you are. So don’t go changing.
The next track, Boiling Frogs, carries the torch and continues exactly where the other track leaves off. If you are a fan of Minor Threat, Zeke, and/or early Rancid, this song will certainly be right up your alley. Again, I can’t even try to interpret these lyrics which are perfectly unintelligible and perched behind a throbbing bass line, ear piercing electric guitar and a thunderous drum beat. It’s rock and roll personified in its most irreverent and vital form.
There are seven tracks on this release and all are worthy of review and praise. Unfortunately, time does not permit an individual review of each track. If I have to choose a third worthy candidate of a song to showcase, I choose Gummy Hearts. This track takes me right back to the 9:30 Club in DC (the original 9:30 club) on 9th and F streets or the Marble Bar in Baltimore. Two true dive bars that were alive with music almost every night of the week. I can almost smell the smells of stale beer, urine, and rotten eggs. Ahh, so many memories. Gummy Hearts is another fireball that clocks in at 1 minute and 13 seconds. After two listens, I need to decompress and take a few deep breaths.
The very sparse liner notes list the members of the band, but does not say which instruments they play. Here are the names of all of the suspects in question: Bryan Rodriguez, Duke Guisness, Gavin Luna, Kane Hertsch, and Nick Alfonso. I am sure all of the participants played an integral role in this seminal release. Mystery and intrigue are good things and add to the mystique of Googon. They issued cassettes upon the release, which are sold out. In true punk rock form, you can name your price for the digital album. This is a bargain at any price.
Listen and buy Googon here