Goodness Gracious

Newly relocated to the Pacific Northwest and fresh off their recent US tour with Clem Snide, The Heligoats follow up the critically acclaimed End of All-Purpose EP with Goodness Gracious, another weird stop for musical adventurer Chris Otepka. Teaming up with Chicago psych-folk band Ulysses S. Grant just long enough to have a few parties and interpret a record, they formed in Summer 2009. The new collaboration has been wild and exciting, fusing meticulously worded songs and spaced-out jams to make the most interesting Heligoats listen yet. Live, the songs are dynamic and energetic, building sonic force around Otepka's acoustic-based tunes, adding colorful settings to the stories within, and fleshing out the universe of this recording. And "universe" is apt: with each track its own little world, all ten songs come together to take the listener on a wild safari and have them home by dinner.