Heave Media

As a lifelong Anglophile,(that's love of the U.K. not children) I've have come to the conclusion that our Revolutionary ancestors have us out-matched, out- maneuvered, and out-gunned on the battlefield of rock n' roll.  I could go through a list of bands throughout the past 50 years and go on about style and substance, but ultimately come to the conclusion that...well you get it.  With the latest from Good Shoes, my personal prejudices seem to be under attack. 

Think Before You Speak, from London's Good Shoes was a debut album brimming with boyish simplicity.  Songs about their hometown and the innocence of awkward young love lost complemented the very sharp and bouncy playing.  The low-tech production gave the songs a classic 70's post-punk sound and contributed deeply to their enduing quality.

No Hope, No Future is the long overdue follow-up and in that time (four years) Good Shoes must have visited Akron, Ohio, and bottled gallons of the water.  I'm referring to Devo of course.  Borrowing from Devo is by no means a crime, but half the songs on No Hope , No Future could have easily been found Q:Are We Not Men?  I could have sworn that Mark Mothersbaugh was guesting on "1000 Miles An Hour."  The other half of the album taps more into the Good Shoes signature sound, but with rather plodding results.  Gone is the sharp melody and cheeky lyrics.  "Everything You Do" trudges along like a funeral procession leading itself to a lonely burial plot.  Standout tracks, "The Way My Heart Beats" and "Times Change" almost make up for this so-so collection.  Lead singer Rhys Jones' wry wit and his brother Tom's Iron Chef-like drum slicing reaffirm Good Shoes good name with these cuts.

No Hope, No Future is an album bubbling over with potential.  The playing is tight, the guitars are wickedly poppy, the bass playing is Gang Of Four to the floor, and the drumming is like a spastic tap dancer.  So, what's missing?  Perhaps the next go around, Good Shoes will bring the classic songs with their classic sound.