SoundTrack Web Extra: 2/3 Goat

Posted on by Joseph Chapman

2/3 Goat proclaims that they aren’t “your average farm band” – with the hodgepodge of pop-rock and folk that makes their CD, Up The Mountain, maybe that’s a good thing.

The five-track EP begins its climb with the upbeat “Tunnel Vision.” Highlighting lead singer Annalyse Mcoy’s country soprano, her voice proves to be an innate match for the band’s uncomplicated bluegrass instrumentation. Her fluttery twang swoops into falsetto in all the right places and makes for an enjoyable bluegrass tune.

But as soon as Up The Mountain sets itself up for a bluegrass-fueled trip across Appalachia, the EP stumbles through the borderline-hokey “Satisfied.” When the bass and mandolin fade into the background and Ryan Dunn takes lead on the vocals, the song trades its bluegrass flavor for formulaic and predictable alt-rock. It’s jarringly out of place.

The choice to include what boils down to a Dave Matthews Band track sandwiched between two decent bluegrass ballads really hurts the album’s cohesion. The band advertises itself as “fusion” – the word they were looking for was “confusion.”

2/3 Goat is by no means a bad band; McCoy’s voice is downright impressive and tracks like “Stream of Conscious” and “The Way” prove that the group has a good understanding of bluegrass. But the band hasn’t fully made up their mind on where they want to go.

Dunn’s musical input is the culprit: the album hits a fatal snag on its closing track, “Runaround Sue.” Dunn’s voice takes the lead again with a simplified blues rhythm and zero creativity. It’s well produced and Patrick Shaw’s bass is especially snappy, but in light of the other inventive folk songs on Up The Mountain, “Runaround Sue” is just boring.

The album is strong evidence that 2/3 Goat can’t have it both ways. If bluegrass and pop-rock can mix, they don’t on this EP. The band quite frankly needs more McCoy and less Dunn. 

Learn more on the group’s MySpace page.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “SoundTrack Web Extra: 2/3 Goat”

  1. tatuaje

    An honest album review that ain’t afeered to tell it how it is?

    In the Xpress?

    Oh my, I think I died and went to heaven.

    Hey Bugg!

    Check it out!

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.