The Go Station

The Go Station are a 5 man outfit from New York and have just recently released The Quiet Zone EP on Edge Delay Records. Apparently the EP is getting a lot of buzz but I’m not exactly too sure why. A lot of the songs are extremely pop sounding but don’t have that certain something that makes pop… well… pop; namely catchy choruses, singalongs, na-na-na’s, yeah-yeah-yeahs or any sort of attitude, whether it be real or manufactured.

I think The Go Station’s biggest problem is that they really are nor here nor there. They were described by PlaybackSTL as having a sound that is “New York via London,” which I find to be spot on. They sound like an American band trying to sound British, which is exactly what they are. You could never have an American Oasis or Blur or Pulp, half of what makes BritPop so delightful is the charming manner of the Brits. This is very basic middle of the road music, most of it sounds like filler you’d find on a Goo Goo Dolls or Matchbox 20 album, a classic it is not. There’s nothing on this EP that will make you rock out, dance to, or cry over.

The EP is made up of five tracks, “C’mon” being the opener. A very mid-tempo song that builds towards a very Beatlesesque and very cool sequence of harmonized chants of the title. Otherwise the song is pretty forgettable. “Wandering Away,” the second track and first single, starts off with a “Smells Like Teen Spirit” homage to Nirvana, but then quickly slows down and cuts into a simple poppy tune that immediately falls flat with the singer’s repeating “wandering awaaaaaaaay” in a brash nasally voice. I’m not sure why this was chosen as the single considering it doesn’t have much of a chorus or memorable lyrics. The third track, “Hold On,” is where it gets a little more interesting, or at least surprising.

In the midst of all of this Americanized Britpop we get a song composed mostly of synthesized beats and a vocoded voice very reminiscent of early New Order. Unfortunately all of the effects and beats don’t cover up the fact that the song is nothing more than an attempt to throw a little bit of diversity into the mix. It mostly just sounds like they tried to hide one of their already boring songs under weak production tricks and failed at it. Track four finally hits and it’s the best song on the album. I think it should have been chosen as a single, it’s the fastest song on the album, has catchy lyrics and a hummable melody. This is The Go Station’s best attempt at trying to sound like Oasis and they get fairly close, a solo would have done this song wonders and is sorely missing. The EP closes with “The Way of the World” which is another strong song with a great bridge and chorus and some pretty neat drumming to boot.

Overall the Quiet Zone EP is fairly forgettable, but you can tell these guys tried really hard. I think they’d do much better for themselves if they picked a sound and stuck with it, or at least offered something new to a world that is full of easy listening pop. If they had a little more attitude, a little more oomph, a little more rock they would really take off, otherwise if they’re not going to take any chances what’s the point? I can’t really see who their audience would be or what kind of person would come out to their shows. I hope these guys focus harder on finding out who they really are instead of relying so heavily on trying to steal someone else’s sound.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. C’mon
02. Wandering Away
03. Hold On
04. Another Day
05. The Way of the World

Run Time: 21:08