The name may evoke a hardcore or punk band but Go For The Eyes is anything but. Not to say they don't pack a punch. They have been around the local scene for some time now and are making waves with their brand of self described "circus rock". Go For The Eyes has had several incarnations to date but currently consist of Jeff Turner (vocals/guitar), Elise Roller (vocals/keys) and Nathan Raboud (drums) and their newest addition, bassist Scott Perrin.
Hot on the heels of their self titled CD released March of 2011, which had a record breaking attendance for a local show, the band unveils the One Through Four EP. Released in September 2011 the EP is a self produced and released effort that was mixed and mastered by former bass player Eric Svilpis. Starting off with a very strong track in "I Guess We'll Never Know" followed by "Two Storey Lies", "Esmeralda" and finishing with "Leave Me With Today", the 4 tracks are another showcase of the band's solid output so far. The influence of bands like Queens Of The Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys is undeniable but instead of sounding like a tired retread of those bands instead GFTE takes the best parts and infuses some of their own flavour into an exciting new sound.
"I Guess We'll Never Know" starts off with some jagged guitar and Jeff Turner's unique vocals that hook you from the first note. If you're toes aren't tapping before the first chorus then step away from the music as you may need to have your hearing checked. A rollicking kickstart to the EP, it sets the tone for those who have never heard of the band by letting them know that GFTE are here to have fun and rock your faces off at the same time. The second track on the EP "Two Storey Lies" showcases Elise Roller's singing abilities. Smoky and haunting vocals that draw you in and keep you entranced throughout the entire song. There's no denying that the interplay between singers is something that sets GFTE apart. A slow burner of a track that doesn't stall the EP but instead keeps an even pace and shows the band is more than a one trick pony. The bass is an unsung hero in this song and throughout. Three tracks in we find "Esmeradla", with it's hooky guitar line and thundering drums, it gallops along and features the dual vocals of Turner and Roller. What starts sounding like a another easy going track quickly changes pace when the punchy chorus comes ringing through backed by Raboud's signature drum smashing and the bass that subtlety guides you along with it's thick groove. Finally we have "Leave Me With Today" which ends the EP in strong fashion. Starting off with Roller's keys and slowly adding each instrument into a sludgy mix that is infectious from the get go, it builds into an all encompassing swirl of squalling guitar, haunting backing vocals, crushing drums and keys ringing throughout the chorus. It leaves the listener with a satisfied taste in their mouth and is a great closer for the EP. This could easily fit alongside any radio friendly song currently being played and in some cases even better those on the radio. The only drawback on the EP is the production which isn't as strong as their previous effort. Other than that you couldn't ask for more in an EP from any band.
To wrap up all that can be said is to keep your eye out as these guys continue to make waves. All around a great group of people to boot and that's never a bad thing to have going for you. Go For The Eyes will be releasing more new material soon so stay tuned...
Besides all being great musicians, they're also great humanitarians. In the next couple of weeks they will be releasing a new single, with all of the benefits going to their charity of choice, Women In Need Society. Do yourself a favour and help out a great cause. Read the article below for details:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/music/Local+rock+Eyes+giving+back/6850687/story.html"/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c
Plus they were just featured on Ok Go's page as well:
http://okgo.net/news/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c
They just recently released a video for "Leave Me With Today" directed by Dave Wallace. A great concept and video. Have a look for yourself:
Here's their Facebook page for updates:
https://www.facebook.com/gofortheeyes/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c
If you like to tweet you'll find them here:
https://twitter.com/#!/goforthetweets/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c
To listen to some of their tunes go here:
http://soundcloud.com/go-for-the-eyes/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c
For their videos check out:
http://www.youtube.com/gofortheeyesband/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c
You can also purchase their music on Itunes at:
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/go-for-the-eyes/id441371075/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c
