Goldfish Syndrome

From the Irish town of Cork, the launching ramp from which took off on the threshold of the year 2000 one of the most inventive British metal rock bands of its generation, Cyclefly, the young four-piece recovers the torch on the label created by Cyclefly’s leader, Ciaran O’ Shea, for the release, at the end of last year, of the first album from his new project, Mako. For the time being, only real signature on Drive Records, which purpose is apparently to focus on local talents, Goldfish Syndrome enters the arena through a 4 song EP.
And it doesn’t take long before being submerged by emotion and pleasure as since the first notes from the EP opener, Where Have All The Good Times Gone ?, and the crystal tunes from the pure and clear guitar, followed by the simultaneous entry of the solid rhythm section and the profound and flexible voice, the listener is immediately projected to heaven. The energetic and nostalgic harmonies go crescendo until the awesome chorus, for a song that isn’t without reminding us of the brilliant Disco 2000 from the late Pulp.
Without leaving us any time to catch our breath, Goldfish Syndrome carries on with an as astonishing and beautiful song as the first one but in a more aggressive and mellow vein, the ironically optimistic It’s Alright, where we can find again an intuitive singing, which inspiration could come from Cyclefly, and that suits perfectly well a still spinning round instrumentation. And this time, as an exciting further bid, we witness the paroxysmic rising of a neat and percussive melody, until the final lop and its obsessive singing and riffs.
In a more intimate and confidential register, the third title lets us discover a calmer side yet more tortured of the band, from the deeper and more committed lyrics to the sader and heavier music. In fact, Satellites and Presidents finally offers us a welcomed pause before the beginning of the last unbridled track of the EP. As a matter of fact, 1964 has nothing to envy from the two first songs and starts like a screech, with its more sophisticated and less primitive rock, similar to a more sober and cleansed If You Talk Too Much (Your Head Will Explode) from an underestimated People In Planes.
Since in our opinion, all the criteria to make a perfect rock album are gathered : fresh and original songs, catchy melodies, strong musical personality, great sincerity in the interpretation, as well as a fine production, we couldn’t dream of a better start for 2009. And if you’re afraid to catch the goldfish syndrome which short-term memory doesn’t last more than a couple seconds, write down as soon as possible the name of this young band who will, without any doubt, be among those to follow very closely during the next months.
- Sounds of Violence (France)