On All Fours (studio album) by Goat Girl

Gets better with every listen...really enjoy this one so much more than their debut album.

Sort of PJ Harvey without the charisma. Some good moments but overall fairly average

although this doesn't have the raw energy of the self titled debut it's a far more satisfying and accomplished album musically but the band have moved on musically from this album already and the new stuff is going to be even better. That's because this album was slated for release in October 2019 but with Ellie's being diagnosed with cancer, now in remission thankfully, the album was held back until recently. Love the topics that the band cover, politically we are in the same ball park, and they aren't afraid to tackle tough subjects. Very accomplished.

From Mercury 02/05/2021 01:07

60 to 70/100 (This is a very impressive collection of many cool individual ideas and songs of distinct type that somehow never forms into a very cohesive whole. Still, some really cool songs and really interesting mix of styles, just somehow the whole is less than the sum of its parts - or however that saying goes.)

Weird stuff. Why, you ask? Well, I've listened 3 times, and yet I still can't put my finger on why I kind of like this album but mostly am indifferent. After their 2018 debut which wasn't amazing but definitely had a certain fire and certain grit that I quite liked, I was looking forward to this album to more-or-less high degree. And I was hoping for a couple things: That theyd develop more and experiemnt with new sounds and that they would find their own identity or de=istinct somethingness that would be all their own. They acheived the first thing - this album is a massive expansion in sound and muscianship. They tackle so many genres, elements of Baroque pop, electronica kinda stuff, art pop, subtly psychedelic stuff, stronger melodies, and a really beauitiful array of moments and modes. BUT the second thing I was hoping for was not at all achieved to my ears. I don't think they have formed an identity all their own at all. I think they went backward in that regard. Despite this album having many moments of inspired songcraft and beautiful sounds, none of the moments and songs are fully fleshed out or particularly memorable. They seem to have thrown many good ideas out onto one slightly overlong album without taking the time to weave all the elements and sounds together.

So, while I think songs like "Badibaba", "Anxiety Feels", "Pest", "Bang" and Where Do We Go?" are all quite good, they are lost in a set of other less good (but still solid) songs that each go in such different directions and none of those directions are followed very far before they turn around and then wander a few feet down another path and then turn around, etc etc, you get the metaphor I hope.

The album is good, its fine. Its got the individual elements (the lyrics, the vocals, the harmonies and bass playing and vocals etc) to make a really fucking awesome album. Somehow though none of these parts coalesce with the others and we have here a good but pretty forgettable indie rock/art pop/neo-psychedelia gumbo of fair-to-good.