The Santa Cruz melodic hardcore stalwarts love a good quote to provide context to their music. These can often be categorised in two groups – political speeches such as the raging Mario Savio socialist diatribe that appears before “Article IV” or the relevant and poignant Martin Luther King Jrs Poverty of the Soul speech that links to “Shadows Of Defeat”.
The other camp is film quotes such as Some Kind Of Wonderful’s “show me the money Keith” ahead of “Heresay, Hypocrisy and Revenge”. Thoughts And Prayers, the 9th studio album by Good Riddance, opens with arguably one of Michael Douglas’ most iconic quotes from the loathsome Wall Street capitalist Gordon Gekko. Whilst not as obvious as “Greed is good”, the rationale behind the used excerpt is very much of our time – its argument that big business is the new political class and the fact that they control so much of our world; capitalism on steroids and success at any cost is so relevant that you forget that the film it’s taken from is 32 years old!
Consequently, in introducing “Thoughts And Prayers” in this way you instantly realise that Russ Rankin and co have lost none of their vitriol as they explode into “Edmund Pettus Bridge” (a US landmark in Alabama which is named after a confederate general and Ku Klux Klan grand wizard and the site of the ruthless beatings by police on civil rights activists on Bloody Sunday). That GR have named the first song on the album after one of the most important events in the civil rights movement after the Gordon Gekko quote is not lost – consider how many left behind communities in both the UK and USA are largely dominated by minority groups, the reference that white authoritarian capitalism is holding people back is explicit. It’s also a pummelling statement of intent!
So where to start with the music? It’s Good Riddance so it’s fast and melodic punk, punctuated by some heavier parts and fist in the air sing-a-long moments that are politically and socially motivated; and let’s be honest few bands have had the impact and success of delivering this skate punk / melodic hardcore blend as this band, and “Thoughts And Prayers” doesn’t deviate from this approach at all. Personally that’s a good thing as across their career they have been one of the most consistently brilliant bands around; never compromising on quality and always with something interesting and relevant to say.
Whilst GR have always delivered on the hardcore bangers (and this album is no exception) the melodic moments on Thoughts And Prayers are stunning. The three mid-album songs “Wish You Well”, “Precariat” and “No King But Caesar” are truly excellent and a masterclass in how to put together an album to keep your interest. The first of the three is a slow burner, vocally driven, with some excellent pieces of guitar work punctuating the verses before an uplifting chorus. “Precariat” is a straight up fast melodic pop-punk tune; quite light and airy, it releases some of the angst and anger contained within the album (lyrically it remains on point for GR). Whilst the final one of the trio “No King But Caesar” is a song of thirds; a rhythmic introduction led by a great riff and equally excellent drumming before exploding into a typical melodic hardcore song, finally closing with an anthemic melodic refrain. This is Good Riddance at their best, cramming so much high quality content into 2:30 minutes.
The more straight forward songs are also excellent. “Rapture” is such a stereotypical Good Riddance song where the drumming of Sean Sellers really stands out. “Don’t Have Time” is reminiscent of one of my favourite GR songs “Stand”; albeit lacking the special hook that elevates the classic of yesteryear. Whilst “Who We Are” is just a classic sounding GR song; everything about it is quintessentially what you want from a GR song – take the lovely guitar line that overlays the verses to the clarity of the vocals and building to a satisfying ending; in one word it’s ‘textbook’!
The closing stages of the album help solidify it as a high point in their back catalogue. “Pox Americana” is another ‘fun’ song whilst “Lo Que Sucede” with its Spanish verses is possibly the darkest song on the album (whether that’s because of my limited understanding of Spanish I’m unsure), it’s arguably the one that carries the most sinister edge, building to an explosive conclusion. “Requisite Catastrophes” is a brilliant way to close the album; its hopeful, uplifting music at odds with the lyrics at times which talk of being suppressed and of materialistic consumerism but at the same time a positivity also speaks of change.
As a band who I feel have never disappointed, and some 25 years into their career, it’s amazing that Good Riddance can still produce something as relevant and essential today as they could back in the mid-90s. The case in point is “No Safe Space” – on first impressions it’s a really quiet, almost ballad-esque song. Yet with the squealing guitars, shotgun drumming and excellent lyrical content you have one of the single best songs released this year.
So this, their 9th album, will certainly not win awards for reinvention but will hopefully win over some new fans. It’s arguably their most accessible album but, at the same time, I personally think it’s one of their best since 1996’s “Comprehensive Guide To Modern Rebellion”; which let’s face it is a landmark album and easily in my top 10 of all time. Recent years have seen so many iconic and important bands rediscovering their mojo and, whilst I don’t think GR ever lost theirs, this is easily an essential long player to add to your collections! Welcome back Russ and the boys!
Stream and download Thoughts And Prayers here: https://goodriddance.bandcamp.com/
Like Good Riddance here: https://www.facebook.com/goodriddance/
This review was written by Richard Mair.
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