On Everything Must Go, Goose celebrate the past, unlock new possibilities, and deliver one of the best studio albums by a jam band to date.
The most popular jam bands have a tough go of it when it comes to studio albums. They will never capture the singularity of a live show, which varies not just in terms of setlist but in how each song is played. What ends up being featured, the length of a jam, or a nod to another work gets cemented in lore and shared amongst fans, like a badge of honor they wear just because they heard it or, God-forbid, they were there.
Most devotees of a particular band (ahem, Phish) will tell you that their studio albums suck or will never match the live experience. Like Phish’s “Farmhouse”, what was once a fan favorite quickly becomes derided when it transitions to a crossover single. To some extent, the Connecticut outfit Goose experienced this with their previous effort, Dripfield (2022). In particular, “Hungersite” received regular airplay and has become a song that many concert-goers monitor closely in hopes of avoiding live.
Even if releasing a studio album feels like a losing proposition, most jam bands are swayed to do so (much to the chagrin of an act like the Grateful Dead). At the very least, the format gets their music out into the world. While Goose‘s previous releases (aside from the Ted Tapes) are curtailed in one way or another, Everything Must Go features 14 tracks at an hour and a half, which feels significant. All of it is fully formed, and nothing feels excessive. The jams are tight but intricate, something that will avoid the ridicule of diehards yet not alienate newcomers. The LP will appeal to a variety of tastes yet reinforces the band’s lofty ambitions.
Everything Must Go features the now core four members of Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitars), Peter Anspach (keyboards, synths, vocals), Trevor Weekz (bass), and Cotter Ellis (drums, vocals). For those keeping score, it also includes contributions from drummers Ben Atkind and Jeff Arevalo, both of whom have now departed (and neither of whom was amicable). In some ways, that makes sense because, as the album title suggests, the group had built up a repository of songs, including those with Atkind and Arevalo, and they needed to see the light of day.
Unlike indie or alternative acts, which only begin to rotate songs on their setlists once the record is released, jam bands tend to play songs (in many cases, for years) before a recording is ever made. Charlie Warzel, a writer for The Atlantic and a jam band enthusiast, contributed a piece to the album, describing it as a way station that allows both Goose to celebrate what they’ve done and empty their notebook to foster new creative ambition.
In line with that mission, Everything Must Go features only four new additions (“Dustin Hoffman”, “Your Direction”, “Iguana Song”, “How It Ends”), with lead single “Give It Time” being introduced just over a year ago. Other songs, like “Animal”, “Red Bird”, and “Silver Rising” have been played over 50 times. What may sound fresh to somebody just discovering Goose ends up being a concert staple for another (and quite possibly a conventional one at that).
The band again prove they possess qualities that could lead to mainstream success. It’s no surprise that the uplifting “Give It Time” speaks to the restorative power of music found in something as simple as hearing the right song on the radio. The breezy 1970s soft rock of “Your Direction” challenges “So Ready” (or the even better “Slow Ready”) as the track most likely to make your lover swoon. “Lead Up” transitions from pastoral sounds evoking the great outdoors to driving rock that channels the theme about spurning regret.
In the studio, Goose can enhance their sound with certain embellishments, like synths, horns, and nature sounds, which don’t distract so much as perfect a version from which others will be compared. The process here is reversed because putting these songs to tape is really for the masses as opposed to being reserved for fans alone (similar to what the Grateful Dead did on In the Dark). The grooves remain natural, like the ethereal keys on “Red Bird”, New Age percussion and warm piano tones on “Silver Rising”, and slap bass on “Thatch”, reaffirming that much of what they do cannot be manufactured.
Similar to their promotion of Dripfield, Goose made an appearance on CBS’s Saturday Sessions. This time around, Mitarotonda waxed poetic about their aspirations to create a world for their fans—and for them—to inhabit. In the spirit of the record’s Where’s Waldo?-inspired cover art of a festival, there’s nothing unique about Goose’s ambition to create their own universe, but they attempt to make it every bit their own. The same can be made of their self-styled “indie groove” (not jam, mind you) designation.
Everything Must Go and the surrounding public relations bring listeners into their orbit. For disciples, the impact will be muted because, while the studio performances showcase their quality and potential as a live act, nothing can compare to the real thing. New album cuts like “Dustin Hoffman” and “Iguana Song” provide a framework that indicates where the guitar solos can go, just as “Give It Time” hints at all the possibilities on drums. The potential remains limitless.
Only two things are missing here: Goose’s imaginative interpretations, which reach incredible heights, and the throng of fans moving in unison while hanging on every note. For a group working symbiotically with the crowd, that synergy cannot be replicated. However, by celebrating the past, Goose can move forward to unlock new possibilities. That is not to mention how Everything Must Go works surprisingly well as a cohesive whole. Considering the limitations of the form, it’s the best possible outcome anyone could have hoped for.