GOAT - Requiem

Masters of characteristic secrecy, Swedish traditional experimentalists Goat have remained a uniquely unidentifiable prospect across two records, allowing their music to be a solitary voice. While their eccentrically engaging live show has frequently been the forefront of acclaim, their recorded output can perhaps be considered outshadowed. But with new record ‘Requiem’, these oddballs have delivered an album worthy of the same status.

‘Requiem’ is the furthest Goat have ventured in expansiveness and length. Despite that, ‘Requium is their most accessible moment to date. The rich cultures from which they coalesce their sound with such cohesiveness is again on display, but a sharper hook is ingrained within each structure. ‘Trouble In The Streets” carnivalesque rhythms are have a deepened effect, with focused melodicism running through them; ‘Temple Rhythms’ basks in layered pan-flute mysticism and ‘Try My Robe’ is an eastern-psych delight, full of vitality. What can’t be ignored is the quality of the recording – if it wasn’t for its enveloping crispness and the group’s musical ability, the vibrancy would be lost.

Rather than actively transform to mark progression, Goat revel in the depth of their rich template. With ‘Requiem’, they inject the enchanting exhibition of their live show, creating something similarly communal.