Your Future by Godzuki (Review)

Each track blends into the other, providing constant music for dancing.
Your Future - Godzuki

Godzuki’s video game dance music has retained much of the experimental aspect I had heard from past 7″ releases, but uses more electronics to give Your Future a poppy, new wave-ish feel to it. Simple beats back up the synthesized tunes that fill the album and give it a subtle Devo sound. Each track blends into the other, providing constant music for dancing and wearing hats made of potted plants. Erika Hoffman’s luscious vocals provide a glossy sheen that flows over the music as smoothly as the first sip of Guinness.

The title track starts the album off with Casio keyboards slathered over cheesy beats that would probably cause Dieter and the Sprockets to go nuts. I’m a huge fan of Joy Electric and his Nintendo beats, so I find this stuff quite attractive, in a groin-grabbing sort of way. The experimental keyboards of Godzuki are similar to those of Joy Electric, as are the vocals (with the notable exception being that Godzuki’s are female). Tracks 2, 6, 10, and 12 are more reminiscent of the Sonic Youth-ish guitar songs of the previously mentioned 7″ releases.

“He’d Turn Us Up” brings a disco sound to the mix that is characterized by the rapid, hi-hat beat used in so many polyesterized 70’s themes. “Haunted Valley” also has the funky bass line and quick drumming that gives the track an almost disco-y/Jamiroquai feel. The wah pedal is even heavy on the electric guitar. Godzuki then evolves their music a few years ahead into the electric boogaloo era with “Rock 4/Rock 5,” which practically screams “It’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from going under.”

“Tele-Fone” is a bit psychotic, with awkward underwater effects on the vocals, keyboards à la Norman Bates, and early ’80s pop guitar riffs that send the song into vertigo. Definitely not danceable, but interesting to listen to. The final track of note is “The Leap” that which sounds like a Friday the 13th-esque soundtrack. Of course, it’s not too threatening when it sounds like the Thompson Twins are performing the soundtrack.

Written by Nolan Shigley.

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