A Vivoscene Feature Review by Brian Miller

Vivoscene rating 8.0

Life has a way of molding us until we are something far different than what we may have originally intended – it’s what we choose to do with these changes and curve balls that defines us. Pop/alt-rock group The GoAround is a living, breathing, rocking example of this. The band has weathered many changes since their inception in 2006, but after a myriad of member switches the band now revolves around two core members, Alexander and Anthony Saddic. The East coast band is still based in their hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania and has garnered a local fan base by playing shows with other well-known local acts – a fan base that they’re hoping to expand to a national level in the coming months.

Their debut album, entitled Restating The Question, was released August 10th and its straightforward rock instrumentals paired with raw, versatile vocals create a sound that feels incredibly honest. “[Our] songs lyrically serve to motivate people to analyze what they stand for… Everybody is essentially chasing the same things: Love, acceptance and happiness. That to me is the common thread that unifies all of mankind… and that is the point that we are trying to make.”

This is a polished piece of work that belies the relative youth of the Saddic brothers. The album was mastered by Grammy-winning producer Nathan Dantzler (Audio Adrenaline) at the Hit Lab studios in Los Angeles, but the Saddics produced and engineered Restating the Question themselves and recorded it all in their basement. Using different sounds from older inspirations such as Smokey Robinson, Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton (or more recently, Matchbox Twenty, Foo Fighters, and Dido), they have scored bigtime with this debut.

The two truly outstanding tracks on the album are “Her Love Is Like Glass”, and the absolutely superb blues-rocker “When I Hit The Bottom”. While the former is a sympathetic updated portrait in the lyrical vein of Dylan’s “Just Like A Woman” that might have come from the catalogue of many an indie folk/rock band, the instrumental dynamics make it something special. But the Saddic brothers, aged just 21 and 19, really hit their stride with the straight-ahead blues-rock format of “When I Hit The Bottom”. If this tune doesn’t take them to the top of the charts, there’s something awry in listener-land, because the song sounds like an instant smash. The vocal work is outstanding, and the composition makes The GoAround a very promising band. Pop with substance. They need to write more songs like this. Here’s a brief clip of the tune:

Catchy ? – oh yeah. As well as it’s recorded though, the studio version almost pales in comparison to the truly exciting acoustic live performance you can witness by scrolling down and watching the video below. What I love about the vid is the demonstrable proof that live music is simply better. The group is young, ambitious, and capable of achieving rock and roll greatness – maybe not just yet, but definitely in the future. The inclusion of the cello is masterful. And the lead vocal, well, it’s what we music fans live for: palpable emotion, in control and almost out of control with the depth of the singer’s feeling.

The band has multiple music videos in the works (starting with their singles, the catchy “Her Love Is Like Glass” and the bluesy rock “When I Hit The Bottom”) in support of their new album. They are definitely a pair to watch.

You can check out their website here.

Watch: Acoustic live version of “When I Hit The Bottom”