LIVE BALLROOM RITUAL

Goat is a band you should make sure to see live. The combination of their psychedelic multi-influence music and their costumed and masked personas (such as an executioner, wizard, Voodoo preistess, etc.) is a wonderful and crazy thing to behold on stage. The dual front women / singers are a force to be reckoned with. An intense show, they caused a lot of stir at the 2013 Psych Fest and were a must see act that weekend.

On record, it doesn't quite match that experience. It is good mind you, and this review is really 3.5 stars rather than just three. But, with all of the songs being from their releases (all but one from their LP "World Music" and their new single) there's not much new here to experience. However, the performances are great and the sound is very good.

Recorded in the summer of 2013, this double-LP in a gatefold sleeve comes from Rocket Recordings, with early pressings in white / green vinyl. No download codes comes with the LP, which is always a bit disappointing. Several songs get to stretch out a bit, and this is a good thing, things aren't rushed and the intensity can build. Many songs are very similar to the releases though. Where things get the most interesting is in the couple of tunes where they really extend it in a sort of "Jam Band" fashion. "Det Som Aldrig Förändras" and "Run to Your Mama" are each much longer. I also don't recall hearing quite as amazing of a sax solo on the studio version of "Let It Bleed" as is on here, very nice. The segue from "Dreambuilding" into "Run to Your Mama" is also cool.

The females' voices aren't quite as nice to hear in the live versions, probably a bit rough from so much touring, but they are still very effective. For fans of Goat this is a must hear, but for those who don't know them yet, you should start with their LP "World Music" first.