Review Summary: A perky, dancy, indie punk album that shows the potential and talent of an amazing band, but isn’t quite there yet.
Clearly drenched in influence from various styles from the 90s and early 2000s, Godcaster’s debut Long Haired Locusts is like a mixed bag. From the abrasive dance-punk of “Even Your Blood Is Electric” to the funk-punk of “Sexy Heffer” to the light indie sunshine pop of “Sassy Stick Boy” the album’s goal seems to be to create a string of fun, but friendly, chaos. If this truly is the album’s primary goal, it accomplishes it well.
Many of the songs either begin with or fizzle into crazy instrumental sections. With disheveled guitar solos, roaring bass, and boisterous vocals, the band members sound like they were born to be seen live. Sadly, on the record itself, this causes some of the songs to feel half-baked and indistinct. Simplistic repetitive lyrics and directionless jams are abundant. For instance, on “The Skull!!!” : the shouting of “Take a look at that skull!” over and over for a minute and a half at a concert or party could warrant a good time, but listening to it while alone in your room might verge on grating. The over simplicity is not exactly conducive to a thoughtful listen. However, if your friends are into indie and punk music, play this for them in a setting that warrants dancing and they should have a great time.
Some of the more unique decisions on this album are the frequent inclusions of both falsetto female backup vocals and flute accompaniment. This gives Godcaster a flavor of their own, as well as a way to brighten up their otherwise dense and flashy rock jamming. They’re also quite good at creating catchy pop hooks. Despite “Sexy Heffer” suffering from the same exact lyrical problems as “The Skull!!!”, Its chopped up funk guitar is so infectious and memorable, that its shallowness doesn’t matter. When they do occasionally put effort into their lyrics, they are quite surreal and quirky with “Let me quench your feral fear, extract the tumor in your ear” from “All the Feral Girls in the Universe” being an example. Despite the album’s flaws, the band behind it is clearly quite talented.
Long Haired Locusts is social, goofy, high energy, and sometimes downright mindless (in a fun way,) so it’s not meant to be taken too seriously. With some more focused songwriting, their potential follow up release could be something truly wonderful, but Godcaster will have to break some of their bad habits to get there. Many artists before them have matured without sacrificing their exuberance, so it may even be expected that they follow suit.
Album highlights: “Even Your Blood Is Electric”, “Don't Make Stevie Wonder”, “Escape from the Challenger Deep”, “All the Feral Girls in the Universe”
