Posted on: September 2, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The GoStation – Passion Before Function / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.thegostation.com /

The GoStation sure love their Oasis, don’t they? Whether it is the opening strains of ”All Together Now” or the ending riffs of “When I’m Gone”, the band has a lot of debts to pay the Gallagher brothers. I can understand why the band would want to do that; Oasis was a band that pushed Beatles-like numbers. When it comes to trying to create something new and vibrant, however, “Passion Before Function” is an album that is a little lacking. During “All Together Now”, The GoStation suffers in that they rely on strung-out sound that is present during the track that seems much more fitting for something coming out of 1995 rather than 2007.

However, the driving guitar and drum dynamic saves the track from being a complete wash, and allows listeners to move easily to “Twin Six”. “Twin Six” is a track that continues with the lighter sound first put forth by “Hour 1”, and while it has a high amount of cohesion with tracks that immediately follow and precede it, it does not provide listeners with anything substantially new. The band’s biggest problem during “Passion Before Function” has to be that each of the disc’s 10 tracks show a band that cannot put forth a song that will garner them popular attention.

All of the tracks on “Passion Before Function” mesh well together, but individuals that are at the cutting edge of music, thirsting for new things, may feel left out . “Not Enough” is perhaps the best of these early track, but the band presses further on dreamy lyrics and intricate arrangements than power chords and a rock sensibility. “Down Street” continues with the same general style heard during previous tracks. The GoStation has the ability to make tracks that could mesh well with the atmosphere at a chill [party, but I simply cannot see them selling out venues or even getting fifty individuals in a bar excited for their presence. Hopefully the band can take these criticisms to heart, go back into the studio, and come forth with something that reflects their own styles and sounds a little better than “Passion Before Function” does now. Skip this disc for the time being but keep an ear to the ground for what The GoStation will come up with next. “Passion Before Function” is just an album that cannot break free of the influences that each member of the band inserted into the ten cuts of the album.

Top Tracks: Battle Lines, Common Ground

Rating: 4.5/10

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