Goffman

Album Review - 'Grow Up Cooter'
January 2006

By Tommy L

For anyone who has seen a Goffman gig, their debut, 6-track mini album will bring a total of precisely no surprises. It’s got all the assuredness of their accomplished live show and conveys the band’s pop-funk sensibilities as smoothly as a freshly ironed silk shirt, whilst never threatening to break any new ground. The CD’s rock-steady bass and drums backbone, punctuated by blasts of wah-wah guitar, funky licks and harmonies, is straight out of the mid-seventies. But while the song writing is reminiscent of Bowie and Ferry, the grand percussion, brass and string arrangements which made this era so fascinating are the major omission from Goffman’s record. So while there are some lovely hooks, particularly on ‘A Halfway House Is Not A Home’, without the accentuation of other instruments there is a definite blur between tracks. That’s not to say there are real issues with monotony, but the record could occasionally do with a change of pace or tone to reinvigorate the listener. It’s all too easy to reach the end of a CD without being able to remember exactly what you’ve just been up to, but with the vague feeling you’ve probably enjoyed it. The major problem ‘Grow Up Cooter’ will face is that it sounds just so ‘grown-up’. It’s definitely very listenable, but it’s perhaps a little too inoffensive - lacking, as it does, any real edge. It’s the musical equivalent of a cup of Horlicks and a warm pullover: pleasant enough in the right time and place, but it’s not going to get any pulses racing.