Good Horsey - Kazue, CD, 1994, Canada

Here's another 'chaser' from my collection. I was perusing the infamous Chugchanga-L end of year best of lists and came across Good Horsey. After a lot of sleuthing I was convinced I needed this release. At that stage is was easy to find second hand. As a 3 piece they generate a fairly infectious dose of laidback pop on tracks such as Settle Down and But She Knew. I'll let David Serra [AMG] do the talking as to the release, but for me, the jangly guitars he mentions are not of the Flying Nun or C86 variety, [which is usually the context I use the description of jangly] in fact it's the bass which stands out as the dominant instrument and Max on drums keeps the whole show flowing with a rubber band slack/taut display. The other standout is Mark's vocals. If anyone has their cassettes [S/T and Evil Twin Episode] I'd love to hear them. I have a couple of their 7"s that I may add later.

"Good Horsey's Kazue, the band's debut and only release, is a mid-'90s treasure shared by a few who never forgot it. A stigma that followed many bands in the mid-'90s was the inevitable comparison to Pavement and the use of "jangly guitars." The term "jangly guitars" is fairly applied here, but Good Horsey pushes a step further. The trio is comprised of Justice Schoenfarber, Mark Szabo (previously of Infernal Devices and currently of Capozzi Park), and Max Lee, each on a wide variety of instruments (including electric guitars, bass, drums, organ, ukulele, violin, xylophone, tapes, pie pan, party favors, and scrap metal) in addition to vocals. Good Horsey offers its pop sensibilities with surprises waiting at every corner. Guitar parts ebb and flow hauntingly, then take a noisy turn. Basslines build melodies that follow and add to the vocal parts. The drums stay the course on the main parts and help navigate the chaos. The presentation and the lyrics and titles are mysterious, causing the listener to hang on each word. A tune like "But She Knew" makes the listener wonder if this is a spy story or a tale about the successes and failures of the head of a family. The frustration of the characters peaks with the screeching noises offered by the instruments complementing the lyrics. "All My Accessories Are a Reflection of My Perky Inner Spirit," one of three instrumentals on the record, is non-distorted rock with one surprise that delves into remedial math. The end of the song takes the listener back to the straight-ahead pop that comprises most of the record. "Burn Up the Sun" is the perfect book end to "Like the Cute One"'s beginning. The lyric line is a mantra that has you humming and singing after the epic ending concludes. A couple of tunes on the records may stray into background music, a feature that debuts tend to exhibit due to length. Weeding through these tunes is definitely worth it to get to the gems of Good Horsey's Kazue." ~ David Serra, All Music Guide