First Listenings: Goo and assorted styles
By JENN YOUNG
Athenaeum Staff

If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like to combine the rap stylings of De La Soul and the Beastie Boys with the high-octane ska of Reel Big Fish, wonder no more. Infusing a mixture of funk, punk, hip hop, ska and even some elements of salsa, P.I.C brings a sound to the table that is quite difficult to describe, but is definitely worth listening to. 
 In their debut album, hiphopunkfunkmamboska!!, P.I.C proves that you can fuse more than one genre of music into one cohesive style and make it work. The band (who all go by nicknames) consists of saxophonist Horny Jeff, bassist Rick Fingers, Sulu on trumpet, Rice on keyboards, Un-G on the turntables and vocalist J-Bomb.
 Although you can hear the contributions of every musician on almost every track, the trumpet and saxophone of P.I.C greatly dictate the energy of each song and make their presence especially felt on songs such as “Sometimes y” and “Happy Song.”
  J-Bomb’s vocals, however, are anything but stale. His lyrics come fast and furiously, and you’ll find him rapping about everything from the vowels a, e, i, o, u and (sometimes y), to eating peanut butter sandwiches and the pain of erectile dysfunction.
 Having cemented their popularity in their home state of New York and branched out, P.I.C is gaining popularity by the day. They have landed on many top 200 airplay charts across the country, one of which being WWVU’s chart, on which the band was no. 6.
  P.I.C’s non-cliched raps along with their unique blend of instruments set their debut album apart from most everything else on the shelves. The band doesn’t have a specific brand of music, but they are definitely energetic and innovative enough to not need one.

After 14 years, six studio albums and two hit songs, the Goo Goo Dolls have finally released a retrospective album outlining their lengthy and somewhat unrecognized career.
What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art and Commerce is a vast compilation. It includes 21 tracks taken directly from the band’s previous albums, as well as a newly recorded studio version of “Two Days in February,” which was originally available as a live track on the band’s third album, Hold Me Up.
The Goo Goo Dolls began their career in 1985. Based in Buffalo, N.Y., the trio quickly developed a loyal fan following. Producing a strange mixture of punk and pop, they toured the country in a van, and eventually released their first album, Jed, in 1987.
The band, which has always suffered from a lack of a marketable image, did not gain national attention until 1995 when “Name,” written by lead singer and guitarist John Rzeznik, gained frequent national radio airplay. In 1998 the band again experienced success with “Iris,” which was recorded for the soundtrack to the film, City of Angels.
EOAC is certainly not a self-serving “greatest hits” album. Both of “Name” and “Iris,” their biggest singles, have been left off of the retrospective, which focuses on the development of the band and the unique character of each individual album rather than previous successes.
There are many songs on the album that are worthy of praise that have been looked over in the past. The first track, “Bullet Proof,” from 1998’s Dizzy Up the Girl, is just one example of a great lump of goo that never gained the attention it deserved. “Flat Top,” from 1995’s A Boy Named Goo, is another piece of thoughtful material that was snubbed in the charts but is showcased in remixed splendor on EOAC. 
The newly recorded “Two Days in February” is the biggest standout song on the album. It is slow and melodic, carefully crafted but earnestly soulful. It will certainly gain radio airplay, perhaps producing a another hit for a band that is deserving of recognition.
The presence of heavily punk influenced early material at the end of the album is a surprise. “Up Yours” and “I’m Addicted,” although not musically outstanding, show just how far the Goo Goo Dolls have come in the last decade.
Overall, EOAC brilliantly outlines the development of the Goo Goo Dolls from a post-punk pop band into a group of nationally recognized hard rockers. It should also serve as a reminder that the music industry often overlooks good material in its endless quest to sell a particular image rather than music.

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