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reviews:
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the downloader dot co dot ukk
the goodbye kiss - the goodbye kiss
2006
ian peterson
There can be no denying the international phenomenon that has been bourn out the somewhat caricatured sub-culture of 'emo'. Yet with such wide-ranging appeal the inevitable dilution or expansion (however you wish to look at it) of the virtues of emotional hardcore has been called into question. For what we have seen with the emersion of Panic! At The Disco, Fallout Boy and their polished ilk is a conscious and dramatic shift away from the staunch root of emo; tellingly, hardcore punk rock.
But fear not, for there is a quiet revolution already taking place; countless fledgling bands across the globe are looking to put the punk aesthetics and brittle catharsis back into emotional hardcore. The Goodbye Kiss are one such band; a rag-tag collective from Tucson, Arizona who craft deliciously poignant but far from scene-friendly nuggets of hardcore gold; each song on this delightful EP is brushed with a leftfield melodicism that rears it's head through the beating wings of countless brushed guitars and fleeting string parts.
In places it boils hardcore back down to the basis of Fugazi; touching on the progressive work of Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky but never straying too far from the pioneering ideals of Sunny Day Real Estate.
Make no mistake; this is as far from the party emo and hook-ladened pop mess masquerading as emo in the upper echelons on the global charts. And it's all the better for it
...
For further details on the download availability of 'The Goodbye Kiss' click here.
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unpeeled dot co dot uk
american calling
2006
john peel
Now, this is good stuff. We're not breaking ground here, but if we are going to have seventy-two bands punting the same 'sound' every other day, I'll be taking The Goodbye Kiss and their oddly popped, yet rough-dustier take on the indie-guitar band lost in the America shtick. This cd sounds like they've gigged, gigged a lot and there is confidence in the timing, in each other, the sticks clicks on 'Bestowal On the Acquisitive' is the calling card of a band, not a pr construct. So its about time I said that The Goodbye Kiss are a fine, heartland example of a band who are moving onwards and outwards. Its the 'outwards' that's important to them and www.goodbyekiss.com that's important to you.
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emotional breakdown dot com
the goodbye kiss [ep] cd review
unknown date, 2006
matteo
Questo disco dei The Goodbye Kiss é come un tuffo nel passato; più precisamente nella fine degli anni ’90, quando la scena emo rock era ancora fervida. Quello a cui si ispirano i TGK infatti é un sound figlio di gruppi come Mineral e Penfold, caratterizzato da atmosfere melanconiche e sognanti. Le canzoni dell’ep ricordano però in particolare quelle dei più recenti Cross My Heart (in particolare per la voce, molto simile a quella di Ryan Shelkett) e dei Benton Falls (alcuni arpeggi in stile “Fighting Starlight”). Tutto eseguito molto bene dal gruppo, un disco impeccabile dal punto di vista tecnico e qualitativo. Gli ascolti del disco sono abbastanza piacevoli, purtroppo però non tutte le canzoni riescono ad avere un impatto immediato e sono difficilmente memorabili. Al giorno d’oggi é raro poter sentire gruppi di questo tipo, quindi un ascolto sicuramente consigliato.
Voto:
3.5/4 Stars
Affinità:
Penfold
Cross My Heart
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Wonkavision, Issue #33:
the goodbye kiss: ep cd review
june 20, 2006
joseph larnerd
Little remains of the sincere emo scene of yesteryear. Rites of Spring and Sunny Day Real Estate have long since glided into oblivion, as have recent torchbearers such as the Promise Ring and Get Up Kids. So, where does that leave those who like our singer's heart not only on his/her sleeve, nut spewing out of their mouth? Well, sad. And emo. But, perk up because Goodcore Records presents the debut EP by Tucson, Arizona's The Goodbye Kiss. Standout track "Bestowal upon the Acquisitive" embodies all that stands so promising about this young act. Upon first listen, one cannot help get sucked in by the soft, plodding guitars and emotive drumming; illustrating, perhaps, what early Sunny Day Real Estate rehearsals may have sounded like. Most of the tunes push or surpass the five-minute mark, using strings, scorching feedback, and samples to compliment and propel the depth of some bare, poetic lyrics. On opener "Lost in the Sunshine of My Mind," singer Petie Ronstadt sings, "My memory of yesterday is gone." With young blood acknowledging their past without plagiarizing it, those memories, and the excitement of a short-lived and largely misunderstood genre, may return. This EP overflows with such promise.
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acclaimed punk dot com:
the goodbye kiss: ep cd review
march 15, 2006
corey schmidt
Wow. This piece of music has "emo" written all over it. From the lonely-looking black and white cover art to the actual band name to some of the song titles, The Goodbye Kiss is an easy band to pigeonhole. A Dashboard-esque sound may have been expected from this young Arizona-based quartet but the group is actually more versed in the melodic rock sensibilities of mid-90s emo. Led by a gruff sounding vocalist, The Goodbye Kiss debut contains five songs that feature a genuine production value.
The EP begins with the sound of waves and a guitar progression fit for the part of a romantic drama when the guy and the girl are about to have their make-up kiss on a beach. This is the mood for the entire song as the music is mid-tempo and the vocalist sings lines like "why can't I stay over and over again" in a pleading tone. This kind of sound is heard throughout much of the EP's duration. However, one of the best exceptions comes in "Bestowal Upon The Acquisitive". Here, the same techniques are used but the addition of a guest musician playing cello gives the song an aural beauty unmatched by any other track. Clearly The Goodbye Kiss has been influenced by a lot of bands that have since come and gone. I'm not sure what the market is for this kind of band in today's scene but if you're looking for something that harkens back to the promise days of emo, The Goodbye Kiss isn't a bad bet.
Standout Track:
"Bestowal Upon The Acquisitive"
3/5 stars
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azstarnet:
the goodbye kiss provides a fresh, local alternative to the radio
november 17, 2005
alexandra carter
Few concertgoers will ever experience the ecstasy of a private concert, whether by coincidence or luck. Fewer still will find it at SkrappyÕs on a Sunday night.
While Neko Case was rocking the Rialto on Sunday, Nov. 13, a far smaller (in fact, a nearly non-existent) crowd enjoyed some breathtaking noise from TucsonÕs own The Goodbye Kiss, whose melodic, mostly instrumental sound comes as a welcome alternative to many of TucsonÕs all-ages friendly bands.
They were preceded by three bands of varying experience: Attis, who played their first show to a fistful of friends; 70s80s90s, a bouncy, Hot Hot Heat-inspired East Side group; and touring act Renee Heartfelt, making for a night deserving of many more attendees than it received.
Unfortunately, I missed the first band, Attis. I arrived just in time to witnesss 70s80s90s take a stage that was mysteriously lined in plastic, pumpkin-shaped trick-or-treating buckets. They lived up to their name, delivering new-school keyboard rock with nods toward Ô70s glam, Ô80s eyeliner pop, and a hint of Ô90s grunge. They later offered the pumpkins as merchandise to a few clumps of bemused fans.
Renee Heartfelt, all the way from Virginia, had a highly polished set of charged-up emo songs. I might be cynical, but I couldnÕt tell the difference between any two of them; their strong, blurry sound might be too much of a good thing.
As mentioned above, the venue was nearly empty by the time the more purely emo Goodbye Kiss began setting up. If they were deterred, there was no sign of it. From the opening chords to the last bubbling amp effects, the music was alive. Beautiful guitar rifts melted into humming bass lines that truly provided a foundation for the music; the volume rose into climax and crashed into quiet. Transitions between songs were muffled, indistinct vocals, controlled (in simple terms for we non-electronic savvy) by switches in the floor, lending an otherworldly element to the set.
ÒWeÕre not trying to set ourselves apart just to set ourselves apart,Ó said Petie Ronstadt, lead singer and guitarist, in a phone interview. ÒWe write the music we want to hear, and I think that in that, we sort of [break the mainstream mold].Ó
Break it, they do. Not many live shows feature not one, not two, but several songs that breach the five-minute mark. Vocals are scarce, but often beautiful. Composure is tight, but not limited. Watching these boys in action is like a cross between observing a casual jam session and sitting in on some kind of emo symphony; their composure alone penciled fans onto the dance floor, giving the illusion of a crowd.
When I say boys, I mean it: not one of these young men is a day over 25. The drummer, Sam Abate, is still in high school. How does so much youth stay fresh in a world of stale ideas?
ÒMost of our influences existed in the Ô90s, and except for The Appleseed Cast and a few other bands, I think most modern music is pretty generic,Ó Ronstadt said. ÒBands you hear on the radio Ð Senses Fail, Hawthorne Heights, etc. Ð all follow the same formula. None of us are really into the mainstream.Ó
And where does a band uninterested in major labels turn? To the indie ones, of course. The Goodbye KissÕ self-titled EP is due out in December under Goodcore Records, and with the miracles of the Internet and DIY touring, is sure to grab the attention of music-lovers across the board.
(see this article at azstarnet's site here.)>
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