The Goods Beautifully Capture The Wistful, Nostalgic Feeling of Summer Ending
Photo Credit: Corey Poluk
What is about the passage of summer that elicits such strong emotions?
Maybe it’s the lingering knowledge that the long, warm days are over, or the ingrained memories that school will soon be starting after months of freedom.
For whatever reason, there is something about the transition to fall that conjures up deep feelings of melancholia—the onset of September just seems to spark a reminder that the carefree days of our childhood will always inevitably give way to the responsibility and burdens of adulthood.
(Granted, this phenomenon might not resonate as strongly in the season-less Bay Area, but as someone who grew up on the East Coast, the end of summer always portended dread and sadness, knowing that the long, warm days of August would soon give way to the crisp, brisk moments of Autumn and eventually to cold, bleak and endless winters.)
The music world is rife with examples that reference this seasonal-shift malady (I’ll always be prone to Bob Seger singing wistfully about “autumn closin’ in” on “Night Moves”) and that tradition is carried on with the release of the Goods’ “Goodbye Summertime,” an album filled with beautifully nostalgic lamentations and paeans to that maddeningly ephemeral euphoria that accompanies the summer.
“There is definitely something about the changing of seasons that reminds me again about the impermanence of everything,” said Rob Good, chief songwriter and creative mainstay of the Goods. “I’ve been thinking a lot about how things are always changing and how important it is to be present in the moment. I’m still not terribly good at that thing—of being present—but I know I’m trying harder now.”
“Goodbye Summertime,” which comes out on Friday via Dandy Boy Records, is teeming with power-pop and British Invasion numbers that evoke all the right kinds of longing—those moments of recognition that elicit goosebumps or deep, contented sighs.
Good, who will perform on Friday at Spat’s in Berkeley as part of the three-day Dandy Fest happening over the weekend, sings with a wistful, gentle delivery that bathes each song in warm familiarity. These are the kind of tracks we’ve heard since the Beatles and the Kinks first arrived stateside, and while it’s clearly fun to play spot the influence, the Goods songs feel utterly modern and non-derivative.
“I’ve always been obsessed with 60s music,” said Good. “I’m one of those annoying, sort of basic dudes who just never got over ‘Abbey Road.’ I listen to it so much and I still find new things to appreciate about that record. Maybe there is some DIY aspect to my process, since I did grow up going to the punk shows in the Bay Area, but my approach to making music has always been very broad—always trying to find that classic sound.”
Like many of those early 60s rock records, the songs of “Goodbye Summertime” are beautifully contained slice-of-life musings. With utter earnestness, Good sings about the joys of cruising around in cars, the heartbreak of fraying relationships and the sadness of listlessly waiting for “real” life to happen someday.
“I navigate this world by feeling more than thinking.,” said Good. “And I’m not a literate guy. So most of my songs start with this question—‘what am I feeling today?’ I usually just go from there and don’t try to cram too much more into the lyrics. I feel like the only thing I’m really qualified to comment on is my own internal emotional experience.”
The production on “Goodbye Summertime” is gauzy and bright—a glorious approximation of Beach Boys studio sophistication on an indie rock budget. The guitars are perky and jangly, Good’s voice is clarion clear and every instrument sounds sharp and deliberately placed. The Goods are fun, creative and exploratory, unafraid to embark on 30 second interludes of “Pet Sounds”-inspired diversions or inject songs with thrilling, minimalist guitar solos.
The album is imminently enjoyable and upbeat, but there is also an underlying feeling of loss and despondency looming within each track, adding a sense of gravitas to the proceedings.
That conflicting feeling—of joy nestling within pain like a Matryoshka doll—is never more urgent and heightened than on “Summer’s Almost Gone,” the centerpiece of the album. With its Rickenbacker guitars and Good’s elevated, pining vocal delivery, the track conjures up every great janglepop act in history, from The Byrds to Big Star to Teenage Fanclub.
It’s the perfect summation for that fitful feeling of young love, lost youth and wistful regret that has been the foundation of rock ‘n’ roll music for generations. When Good sings “Throw your arms around me / while the sun still warms the earth,” it’s a prescient reminder that these kinds of songs will never go out of style.
Good said that song was inspired in part by the recent passing of his grandmother, with whom he had a close relationship. The way he describes their connection in many ways serves as a thesis for this album, for this kind of rock music, and for every form of art that draws you closer to the present moment by making you appreciate the past.
“I think back on an experience I might have had with her, not realizing at the time that this would be the last kind of moment we shared together,” said Good. “The older I get, the more I look back on things and realize that these moments I thought were going to last forever, never do. And this album is about coming to terms with that reality.”
Show Details: Night One of Dandy Fest Featuring The Goods, Joel Cusumano, Motorcycle and Smile Too Much
Where: Spat’s in Berkeley
When: 8 p.m., Friday, September 11
Tickets: $10 at the door