The
Got to Get Got are terrific. That’s how I will start this
review, with a declaration that they are in fact awesome, and
their record ‘Sahalee’ which has been/will be released
by Noyes Records//Rewika Records is, like the band itself, awesome.
I
have enjoyed previous bands that the TGTGG members have played
in previously, North of America, The Just Barelys and Tomcat Combat
are all on my Ipod and as any music fan knows, THAT is the true
test of fanhood these days. In fact lead singer Mark Mullane’s
previous band , North of America was probably at different points
my favourite band, ON EARTH, and so it was with that mindset that
I cautiously set forth to see this band three years ago. The show
was awesome, and at the time featured another former NoA member
(Michael Catano)playing drums so I satisfied about half my desire
to see that band which was nice. The thing that struck me then,
and ESPECIALLY strikes me now is how although Mark is almost certainly
the head dude; the band felt like a real collection. Everyone
added a part, and without that part the entire ‘thing’
that they were doing wouldn’t work.
The
best parts of all these bands I have mentioned are combined on
‘Sahalee’ and then a light dusting of poppy catchy
headbobbingness is added. The cohesion of this band is what impresses
me the most, besides you know, the songs.
For
instance, ‘Burn Yaletown Burn’ starts the album with
a whirling burst of sing along catchy rock, followed by ‘Rattle
Off’ which is a punchy little number that makes full use
of the bands string section to extremely enjoyable effect. It
sets a good tone for the record and if you’re sold after
those songs then you’ll undoubtedly be down for the whole
album.
I
don’t want to go through each song on the album, that seems
like overkill, but the last two songs I want to mention are ‘Getting’
Dirty in the Afterlife’ which is about as perfect a pop
song about being getting laid as a ghost can be, and ‘Hell
Awaits, Maybe’ which takes dirge rock and makes it sound
like something that should be on the radio, provided that the
radio was a valid form of communication these days, which it is
not. The one thing you’ll notice about the songs, and to
be clear I do mean all of them, is the fact that they could ALL
be singles; the album is just that accessible and for lack of
a better term, first rate.
This
isn’t a band that you point at one person and say ‘Superstar’,
this is a band where you look at a myspace page --myspace.com/gottogetgot--
and say ‘Wow Eleanor King, has a really distinct and lovely
voice and Brad Lahead writes really interesting guitar solos,
the strings provided by Haley Thomas and Rachel Schwartz add surprising
depth to the songs, Adam Hartling’s bass playing combined
with Rob Shedden’s drumming (I am still a bit unsure if
that is the right order if not feel free to troll my Facebook)
provide the anchor the songs need and provide the most toe tapping
parts, which as far as a compliment goes sounds lame even as I
write it, but also it is the truth, so I guess the truth is lame.’
This is a whole band, and as such they all deserve the credit
for this record.
Bottom
Line: If you like music, then I think it is fair to say you will
like this album. So Buy it. Buy it now, quickly before you forget
and live a life that is slightly less enjoyable than if you had
remembered. I don’t want to say not buying this record will
cause you to get divorced, but I will, and I have. Buy it now
before it’s too late. --BY TAYLOR CARVER, AUG '09
