Band of the Week: Goes Cube

Band: Goes Cube
From: Brooklyn, NY
Sound: heavy '80s & '90s hardcore/metal influences, '00s sound
Similar Artists: Helmet, Slint, Melvins, Fugazi, Isis
Listen Now: “Goes Cube Song 57”

Goes Cube... say it with me now... is one of EAR FARM's top, most favorite, best loved, bands in the WORLD. "Yeah yeah, we know we know," I can hear you now mocking me like those chipmunky vocals in "Jam On It". But, well, it's true. And I have to keep reminding everyone because not enough people are believing me! Come on world, there's no time like the present to wake up and smell the Cube (ew), right? Metal is cool again, the '90s are back, and the time couldn't be any more perfect for you to suddenly discover your inner loud-music-oholic and dive headfirst into one of Brooklyn's top unsigned bands. Here's your wicked simple cheat sheet: Helmet + Slint + Melvins + Fugazi + Isis = Goes Cube. If that combination doesn't whet your appetite then you've got some serious research to do once you realize how much you love this band.

A bit of history. Goes Cube is comprised of three guys from Brooklyn, NY - Kenny Appell (drums), Matthew Frey (bass guitar), and David Obuchowski (guitar/vocals). David and Matt met in college at the University of Illinois where they played in a few college bands together. Years later they found themselves together again in Brooklyn and formed Goes Cube, originally using a drum machine to handle percussion. Songs were written and the duo caught a bit of attention around New York as a band to watch out for. But also, as a band in serious need of a drummer. This, coincidentally, is where both Kenny and myself come into the picture one fateful evening over two years ago at an extinct Lower East Side club called Sin-é.

The night I'm referring to was Goes Cube's first show with their new drummer Kenny. Ever since seeing them play this first show as a three-piece (click here to see a post about the show, and to see a much younger looking Goes Cube/EAR FARM) I've wanted - needed - more and more of their music in my life. It was pretty simple really, I needed loud and awesome, this band needed to deliver it, and I've gobbled up every number they put out there since then. From 17 all the way to 60 (if you're new here, the titles to Goes Cube's songs are numerical - they don't lack titles, they're simply numbered titles, you'll see), Goes Cube's music became part of my world; fitting so well with all of the happy times, the sad times, and mostly, the angry times. Which, if you happen to interact with other people at all (especially in a strenuous work environment), can often outnumber the happy/sad times. The angry times can, I mean.

Anyway, if you've spent any time, whatsoever, on this site since early 2006, you already know most of this. What you might not know is that Goes Cube is getting set to go on another expansive tour of the US, getting ready to blister SXSW with their music, and to release an outstanding tour-only EP called Not What We Thought. For these reasons they appear here, this week, as EAR FARM's band of the week. Alert the neighbors, it's about to get loud...

From the very moment play is pressed, Not What We Thought finds Goes Cube in full-on attack mode. At the risk of losing your eyes permanently to the sheer power of Goes Cube, I suggest you go ahead and click on “Goes Cube Song 57” below, right now. It's the first track from Not What We Thought and will help illustrate what I'm trying to convey better than any combination of my words might. Turn it up and I'll do my best with language, but by all means feel free to hop up from your chair and thrash around.

“Goes Cube Song 57” - visceral, immediate, imposing, electrifying, mathy, and METAL. I liken the start of this song, of the entire EP, to waking up from a deep sleep only to find that you're in the middle of being pushed out of an airplane at 10,000ft. The experience at first shocks you, then terrifies you; but once you've pressed play, it's already too late. For those already familiar with this band, it's worth noting just exactly how heavy the band has become over the past year and a half. Listen. The work of producer Dean Baltulonis is completely top notch, every element of this song (and every song on the EP) shines exactly as it should: deep grooving bass acts as an anchor, the drums blast through the mix with a flurry of savage fills, and the guitar rises up to the front perfectly at just the right moment, time and again, to remind us exactly what this band is really all about. “Goes Cube Song 57” is pure magic - a perfect example of where the band is now and where they're likely headed in the future.

Track two, “Goes Cube Song 53”, is a bit plodding as it begins. As such, it's a potential sand trap for impatient first time listeners. But stay with it, because Goes Cube always delivers an oh-my-GOODness moment in each song. Here that'll come in the form of time changes and a truly vicious finish that leads rather nicely into the welcome calm of the beginning of "Goes Cube Song 49". 49, the only track recorded at a different time than every other song on this EP, is a personal favorite for me and reminds me of my time spent with the band on tour in 2007. It's full of melancholy, memories, and nostalgia. Again, place your trust in Goes Cube as the song evolves effortlessly from its humble beginnings of listless melancholia to a full bore sledgehammer assault at the blink of an eye around the 2:40 mark. Watch that you don't get too attached to it though - it's MY song and you can't have it.

The fourth track, "Goes Cube Song 56", is Not What We Thought's second two minute explosion song. It's relentless, just listen to the fills and the METAL of this song. By looking back at what's made so many hardcore & metal bands of the '80s and '90s successful, Goes Cube has offered a road map for the future of heavy music right here in Song 56, on all of Not What We Thought. Deadly.

The real heart of the record can be found on the final two tracks, "Goes Cube Song 54" and "Goes Cube Song 50". The songs are technically separate, but act together to form a cohesive whole that does more than any other song on the EP to state the band's case for how on top of their game they are at the moment. 54 finds the band exploring a bit more of their atmospheric and heady side and the recording of the drums in this song is particularly worth noting. "Goes Cube Song 50" is the band's final push towards the finish line. Here's a tip: give your stereo an extra boost on the volume throughout the track as you're listening. It'll knock you out. Slowly at first, and then like a machine gun. Like that scene in the beginning of Robocop when Ripley gets thoroughly blasted by the bullets of every bad guy in all of Detroit, you'll be left lying there blistered and happily thrashed as Song 50 rings out and brings the record to an end.

Overall, Not What We Thought signifies a band that is maturing, growing. The vocals throughout the EP are more forward in the mix (refreshingly so) and the guitar work is more studied and intricate without losing one ounce of punching power. The bass is also both of those things and the drums are a tad more nuanced without losing any of their fury. I highly recommend seeking out the band in the coming weeks to pickup a copy of this record.

As I already mentioned, Goes Cube is getting ready to head out on another big tour (dates below), this time connecting with their friends from the bands The Giraffes, Freshkills, Hull, and Constants on select dates as they melt faces across the US heading to/back from South by Southwest in Austin. In fact, they're currently actively seeking out shows during SXSW - anytime/anywhere - so get in touch with the band if you'd like to fill out your SXSW bill with one seriously loud, honest, kick-ass rock band. Having seen a remarkable number of Goes Cube shows myself, I can promise you this: if you are wise enough to attend a Goes Cube concert, regardless of the time/date/venue/your own state of mind, you will be impressed, well-rocked, and very very happy that you saw them. What more can a fan of live music ask for?

Listen:
“Goes Cube Song 57” (from Not What We Thought)
“Goes Cube Song 46” (previously recorded)

See Goes Cube Live:
22 February - BAM Next Festival @ Magnetic Field, Brooklyn, New York
23 February - Backstage at Rose’s Cantina w/ SUICIDE DOLLS and MYTY KONKEROR, Groton, Connecticut
5 March - The Red And The Black w/ The Giraffes, Washington DC, Washington DC
6 March - Lava Lounge w/ Medic Medic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
7 March - Gypsy Hut, Cincinnati, Ohio
8 March - Mike & Molly’s w/ Audrye Sessions, Champaign, Illinois
10 March - Soundpony w/ The Counterlife, Tulsa, Oklahoma
11 March - Lakewood Bar & Grill, Dallas, Texas
12 March - The Big Texas Jumpstart at the Creekside Lounge with Spinto Band, Division Day, AA Bondy, and more, Austin, Texas
13 March - TBA, Austin, Texas
14 March - TBA, Austin, Texas
15 March - TBA, Austin, Texas
16 March - TBA, Austin, Texas
17 March - SXSW Overflow Fest @ Super Happy Fun Land w/ Cougar Den, Pleasureboaters, and Pharmacy, Houston, Texas
18 March - Unity Print Co. / Art Gallery w/ Johnny 2x4 and the Ripshits, and Jerusalem High, Gulfport, Mississippi
19 March - North Gate Tavern w/ Freshkills, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
20 March - The Gravity Gallery w/ Freshkills, Clinton, Mississippi
21 March - Newby’s w/ Freshkills, Memphis, Tennessee
22 March - Springwater Supper Club, Nashville, Tennessee
23 March - Soundlab 84, Atlanta, Georgia
24 March - Crack Soup w/ Hammer No More The Fingers, IED, Urban Turban, Charlotte, North Carolina
25 March - Hell Bar w/ Hammer No More The Fingers, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
26 March - Nara Sushi w/ Onion, Pharmacy, and Snorklewhacker, Richmond, Virginia
27 March - Talking Head Club w/ Paul Michel, Baltimore, Maryland
28 March - Homecoming show w/ Constants, Hull, Look Mexico @ Union Pool, Brooklyn, New York
30 May - Pilam, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
31 May - Brillobox, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Visit Goes Cube on MySpace.

Checkout a Goes Cube music video over on EARF.

*above photo courtesy of Jackie Roman.
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In the recent past, the following bands have been featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week:
Magic Arm
Drink Up Buttercup
The Big Sleep
Pete and the Pirates
Dead Confederate
Throw Me The Statue
Screaming Tea Party
Graveyard

See the entire list of bands featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week HERE.