On their singles and EPs, Good Shoes seemed like the scrappy kid brothers of similarly bouncy, angular bands like Maxďmo Park and the Futureheads, but on their debut album, the Shoes come into their own: Think Before You Speak is a set of cheeky, vulnerable songs with all the sugar-rush immediacy, and addictiveness, of a crush. The band's singles still exemplify their economic yet jam-packed style. "All in My Head" pairs giddy riffs and a breathless melody with self-aggrandizing and self-deprecating lyrics about doing nothing; on the fantastic "Never Meant to Hurt You," Rhys Jones sings "you never knew that I didn't love you" with such a light touch that it just sounds honest instead of cruel. Think Before You Speak boasts production that's cleaner than Good Shoes' earlier releases, but the more polished sound gives their sprightly music the fullness it needs to make a bigger impact, especially on spring-loaded songs like "Nazanin" and "We Are Not the Same," where riffs and melodies pop up in all directions, chase each other, and occasionally fall into lock-step. The band tries for a allad with the lovely "Blue Eyes," but gets carried away; "Sophia" goes for a slyer and sadder approach, mixing vignettes of going out to shows with threats and regrets like "If you go back to where we first met/It will only break your heart" over sparkling guitars. Most of the album deals with relationships that feel like arguments, and vice versa, but the band has a social conscience too. If they're not classic angry young men, they're at least cranky young men on "Morden," a bittersweet theme song to Good Shoes' London neighborhood; "Things to Make and Do" is jaded and idealistic at the same time, one moment lamenting "private education makes me sick" and the next scoffing, "I got a tan from my TV." Though the first half of Think Before You Speak is a little more striking than what follows, these songs are never less than remarkably smart and catchy. In fact, the jaw-dropping amount of indelible melodies and insightful lyrics on Think Before You Speak could very well make it a classic.
If you like Brit pop – and you do not live in the UK where Good Shoes are old news – why not check out this really above-average jagged-pop band.Here’s my review from Dusted a couple of days ago.Got room for another jittery, jangly, British band? Still hankering for one more passel of skinny boys with hair flopping in their eyes, singing mordant love songs and callow social criticism, while
More >
Just listen to this. There is not too much to say, it speaks for itself.
More >
A Rock Detective's work is never done and the case files are piling up around here faster than the empty doughnut boxes. Fortunately this monday should see me clear at least come of the backlog. I've been trailing these crims for months, and finally the big deal is about to go down.The call themselves "Good Shoes,":http://www.myspace.com/goodshoes but they ain't interested in peddling no footw...
More >
Good Shoes is a relatively new band, British and partaking of that jittery, heart-felt Arctic Monkeys/Futureheads-ish vibe...and am I imagining it, or do you hear a whiff of Morrissey in there as well. Promise, I'll know more about them later....but for now I leave you with the indelible image of a skinhead in a Burberry coat.
More >
A Rock Detective's work is never done and the case files are piling up around here faster than the empty doughnut boxes. Fortunately this monday should see me clear at least come of the backlog. I've been trailing these crims for months, and finally the big deal is about to go down.The call themselves "Good Shoes,":http://www.myspace.com/goodshoes but they ain't interested in peddling no footw...
More >
If you like Brit pop – and you do not live in the UK where Good Shoes are old news – why not check out this really above-average jagged-pop band.Here’s my review from Dusted a couple of days ago.Got room for another jittery, jangly, British band? Still hankering for one more passel of skinny boys with hair flopping in their eyes, singing mordant love songs and callow social criticism, while
More >
Got some good news today, press passes to Amy Winehouse, Lilly Allen, Bright Eyes at the Eden project in Cornwall this year with four more dates for different acts still to be announced. Not quite my taste but should be good fun. Apparently Arcade Fire were down to play as well but dropped out, their loss.Eden in Cornwall is a great venue. It's set in an old clay mine with huge "biomes" with a ...
More >
London four-piece Good Shoes have announced details of a large UK tour as well as a free download of a new song. The band recorded their follow-up to 2007's Think Before You Speak last year in England and, as of November 5th, will embark on a near thirty date tour, finishing one month later on December 5th, no doubt in support of the forthcoming LP.
More >
This is something that I have found really interesting recently and spent quite a lot of my time thinking about, but was helped by that post about the iPod generation [ HEREThe ways we are getting hold of our music are most definitely changing from both the advent of new technology and also the change in people listening habits. There are two things I want to look at here. One of these is the a...
More >
Just listen to this. There is not too much to say, it speaks for itself.
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Nazanin |
|
|
| 2 The Photos on My Wall |
|
|
| 3 Morden |
|
|
| 4 All in My Head |
|
|
| 5 Never Meant to Hurt You |
|
|
| 6 Blue Eyes |
|
|
| 7 Sophia |
|
|
| 8 We Are Not the Same |
|
|
| 9 Small Town Girl |
|
|
| 10 In the City |
|
|
| 11 Things to Make and Do |
|
|
| 12 Everybody's Talking |
|
|
| 13 Ice Age |
|
|
| 14 Wait |
|
|
Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Think Before You Speak")
