Review: Goodbye Blue Monday “Next Time We Stop Breathing”

Goodbye Blue Monday
“Next Time We Stop Breathing”
(Loud and Clear)

This band is very special to me. I used to be in a band called People Today and we played a few shows with Goodbye Blue Monday band when they were just starting out. Matt, lead singer, and Andrew, lead guitarist, are both incredibly talented musicians who deserve to be making earth-shattering indie records like this one (and I know form experience these guys are for real). Their blend of meticulous guitar chords and long-drawn out breakdowns successfully complete whole musical thoughts which is something all bands struggle with. Matt just won’t let a song be incomplete. Kindred spirits definitely include Radiohead, Godspeed!, Silver Mt. Zion, Blonde Redhead and all other affluent groups (these kids belong on the list). I’ve actually seen this band cover a few Radiohead songs, so yes, the connection is there, but trust me; these guys have other things to offer listeners. It’s really strange, but Goodbye Blue Monday really knows how to create tension from literally nothing and cut that tension with melodic tranquility. The interjection of social and economic rants that sound like they are from the 1960s gets to be a little excessive, but I know this is a socially minded band and they have to be weird if at all possible. One small fun fact about track 7 “new religion” is that originally Matt just mumbled into the microphone for the words. He didn’t even know the lyrics. It’s kind of funny. “next time we stop breathing” is one of the best albums of 2003. I can’t get enough.

Tom