Why should anyone listen to a German version of well-out of time Psychedelic Rock which could originate from either end of the Pacific Ocean, either in the San Diego Jam Rock scene or the Japanese Kraut-regions? Well, simply put – because Goblyns and their second full-length record within the span of 13 months (!) is just really good. Enjoy Hunki Bobo in all its dimensions!
The Murlocs from Australia, Kikagaku Moyo from Japan or Thee Oh Sees from the States – all these bands could be referenced to when talking about Berlin-based trio Goblyns, whose new record Hunki Bobo follows right on the very heels of Spaghettification, which was released in April 2023. However, there is one astonishing thing about Goblyns: They are based in Central Europe, several hours away from the seaside, and therefore their sunny, sparkling Psychedelic Rock is a bit of a surprise, also because it sounds like a release by a band that has been at it for decades. But the three guys have been together for not even half a decade and yet their mix of funky basslines, warm angular guitar licks and hooks and a pushing drummer which leaves a lot of hope for the antecedents of this already mighty impressive release.
When a record starts with a track like ”Sakura” (talk about Japanese influences, huh?) and that warm Moog-like sound combined with the sensitive, embracing parts of a rhythm section to encapsulate some of the essential Berlin Sunday morning-right-after-the-bar rays of sunlight – then you already know where you will spend the 30 minutes. Here, and nowhere else. Even when the three fellows let the riff reign wild and free they have the sensitivity and sensibility to come back to the amazing, slow-simmering rise of sunlight on that late August Sunday morning somewhere in Kreuzhain or on the outskirts where life is even less touristy and “more real”. That can also be said about Goblyns, these fine young people are for real and that also shows when they borrow the most enchanting Spaghetti-western guitar solo ever accompany by a miraculous Synth passage to let this first track come to its deserved end.
”Bobo”, the next track, is directly something different, it’s sweating and pumping, pulsating and swearing and it is alive and kicking. Here the drums are dominating the track, it is like running along the Ring-Autobahn that encircles Germany’s capital – you might stumble into a traffic jam, which slows you down, but most of the time you will be running, picking up speed and trying to outrun whatever is chasing you. If we transfer this onto life in general, we should attest that however fast we run, we might not arrive where we want to be headed. Nevertheless, there are these three fellows who are accompanying us on this voyage, pushing us and simultaneously holding our hands not to stumble.
That ”Great Hunger”, the third track, is again somewhat different and open to interpretation is part of the deal of instrumental music – we can hear in it whatever we want and your interpretation is as good as mine or as anybody else’s. We are all right and we are allright, and when listening to such great music, it doesn’t matter, which highway you are on, which race you are running or which couch you are sweating your asses off into - Hunki Bobo is great company and you will enjoy life a bit more with this record in it!
