Goat 'Medicine'

It is hard to know how many times the mythology and mystery of Goat’s backstory can be written about, but the new release 'Medicine' does away with any need to dwell on the past, returning with a more introspective, slightly mellower psych-folk sound that remains recognizably them. There is a consistently restrained, warm feel across the whole work, and the band suggests that the overall theme of the album is about “the impermanence of life in different ways: sickness, relationships, love, death and how our time is finite”.

At times the album’s sound has nods to classic Swedish 70s psych/prog/folk acts such as Arbete and Fritid, Charlie and Esdor and Träd, Gräs and Stenar. "Vakna" takes on this influence, progressing across nearly six minutes of swaying, warping guitar solos, without ever breaking out into chaos. Flute is foregrounded throughout, threading across several tracks from the opener "Impermanence And Death". It duets elegantly with keening synth lines through the beautiful "You’ll Be Alright", and leads the melody of the closing track "Tripping In The Graveyard". "TSOD", with its backdrop of sitar and acoustic guitar, has an indelible vocal melody that could be a lost George Harrison recording.

Whatever your dosage, and regardless of your remedy, it is now time to take your medicine.