Pet Goats: Operetta (CD on Konkord)

Band: Pet Goats
Label: Konkord
Title: Operetta

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Band:Pet Goats
Title:Operetta
Reviewed By:Dave Goodwin
Date Published:14/10/2013

Label:Konkord
Format:CD
Release Year:0
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The name the Pet Goats provides little impression of what kind of band this group actually are. If you look at the CD album cover to ‘Operetta’ with artwork by photographer Marc Atkins, they could again be anything genre-wise. You don´t have to be punk to play great punk rock,” they say about themselves, and they are actually a blend of grunge, punk, NY –influenced post/noise and rock, which is something that you would never have got from the cover.

The Pet Goats are Vienna-based trio Andrew Mangold (vocals), Dietmar Schrödl (bass) and Andi Wurscher (drums). The main player is Mangold who hails from New York, and is responsible for the most of the song writing and musical content. It is easy to see where the NY noise rock influence comes from his musical background. This is a proper guitar-fuelled fuzz bucket of a debut. It is full of noise and guitar riffs and angry sarcastic lyrics, but it is also pleasantly simple too.

The title track is almost spoken word with a great guitar melody helping it along, something like a heavier Talking Heads, while the second track ‘Zombie Lover’ reminds me of Bowie. It hits you in the chin like ‘The Jean Genie’ and by the time you get to the shoegaze of ‘Teleprompter Tears’ you'll be smiling and heading for the drinks cabinet to soak up the swirls of feedback and fuzzy dust.

But there's a catch with it all. You're not entirely sure what's coming next. In ‘Teleprompter Tears’, for example, there is a shrill guitar solo in the middle and ending. The trouble with the surprises usually on an album like this is that once you know it is there, you know it is there but this one does exceptionally well at convincing you that you've never heard it before.

‘Cartoons’ is a long, stubborn toe tapper as is ‘So Interested…’ with a sarcastic blast at the people that are only involved for what they have to gain. ‘Military Mind Control’ is a real back-to-front affair with what sounds like the ending in the first third!! Lyrically it takes a swipe at the military, and they aren't afraid to let them for “killing music while they are killing millions.”

‘Come On Get Ready’ speaks of “deceptions they have found” while “walking through the streets with the world falling down” as “Wall Street sucks.” This is debatable stuff, not for the feint hearted but also topical and needing to be answered. On the last track ‘Wrong Hero’ the Pet Goats slam those who “make their plans while they shake your hands/That's how they deceive you.”

For me personally a great introduction to the Pet Goats, but what about you? Well, if you like the NY Noise/post punk sound you will be rushing out to buy or download this. The last third drifts a little and could have been a bit more diverse, but it keeps you guessing what the Pet Goats will do next.

Track Listing:

01) Operetta
02) Zombie Lover
03) Teleprompter Tears
04) Cartoons
05) So Interested ...
06) Military Mind Control
07) Come On Get Ready
08) March of the Neoconservatives
09) Wrong Hero

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Unpredictable combination of grunge, punk and New York-influenced post/noise rock on debut album from Vienna-based trio, the Pet Goats

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Operetta - CD
Unpredictable combination of grunge, punk and New York-influenced post/noise rock on debut album from Vienna-based trio, the Pet Goats

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