The Goo Goo Dolls have been around for what seems like forever, six years before I was born to be exact! And yet, in their 27 year run without hiatus, they have gathered 14 top ten singles, sold over 10 million albums, and had their hit-song “Iris” top Billboard’s Top 100 songs of 1992-2012. In other words, this band has the credentials to scare any Belieber away.

With the release of “Magnetic” on June 11 (their tenth studio album) the Goo Goo Dolls are back, and in many ways better than they have been for quite some time. While not a massive change from the tried-and-tested formula of soft pop rock, Johnny Rzeznik and co. have produced a catchy, meaningful and emotionally upbeat record. The band chose to work with three different producers, Gregg Wattenberg, John Shanks and Greg Wells in order to get a very unique sound for each track.

Unlike their recent efforts, the band wrote much of the music on tour, without the forced nature of a record company breathing down their neck. This results in a fresh and more vibrant sounding Goo Goo Dolls that are perhaps entering an Indian summer of their careers. As I got a sneak-preview of “Magnetic” this week, I’ve chosen to break down the new record track by track.

 
1. Rebel Beat
Ok, so despite what I just said, completely forget the first single, “Rebel Beat”. It unfortunately clouds the tone for the rest of the record, aligning it to some kind of happy teenage mmpop (sorry Hanson) rather than something you’d expect from a rock band. One reason for this might be that the Goo Goo Dolls are signed to Warner Bros. Records, and these days all the major labels seem to think that if you have some kind of teenage choir chanting “yeah” or “hey” in the background that it’s going to be a hit. Well, no –it’s not.

Let John Rzeznik do what he does best and write evocative songs with an edgy flair to them. Thankfully, “Rebel Beat” is the only “cringe song” in that regard – the rest are vintage Goo, mixing melodic anthems with lyrics that you feel were personally written just for your life.


2. When The World Breaks Your Heart
Somehow Rzeznik has merged a really fast-paced verse with more of a subtle, broken-down chorus, and amazingly – it works. Again, it’s nothing ground breaking, but it’s the kind of track you’d drive to, perhaps after a rough break up, just to find that the road of your life has a few twists and turns to come. Upbeat and majestic, the string elements of this song bring it to life, and melt in-between a twangy lead guitar part.

Anthemic simplicity defines the Goo Goo Dolls, and this track helps show why.

 
3. Slow It Down
Best track on the record. This is the Goo Goo Dolls through and through; a song that makes you want to stand up, take on the world and never look back– if only for three minutes. The drums act as a kind of background marching tempo to which Rzeznik cheers us on. The chord sequence in the chorus is spine-tingling (I hear a diminished 9th in there somewhere), and it sonically represents the album very well. The intricate and sophisticated blend of the mandolin parts works nicely – something we haven’t heard from the band since their success of “Dizzy Up the Girl” (1998) and “Gutterflower” (2002).

I have read some bad reviews of the Goo Goo Dolls which say the band aren’t moving forward enough. The problem for me on the recent albums isn’t the band’s lack of a formal direction, but quite the opposite: they have forgotten their roots. The Goo Goo Dolls are an all-embracing, emotional, angsty, hearts on their sleeves rock band, and “Slow it Down” reminds us of a time in the late 1990s where alternative rock ruled the waves. This is classic post-grunge rock with an emotional core, and it’s all Goo Goo Dolls’ fans ever really want. Sometimes it’s alright to eat at the same Italian restaurant each month, especially if the food is as delicious as this band’s music.


4. Caught In The Storm
Another stand out track. This one is superbly upbeat, yet has a kind of philosophical side to it that many listeners may miss. The verse and pre-chorus represent this lyrically: “To the streets, to the river / Where the broken dreams flow out into the sea…To the saints, to the sinners, all the losers and the winners / We’re all just looking for something we all can believe in.”

The lyrics are on the same par that Rzeznik wrote as a youngster disillusioned with “the television war between the cynics and the saints” heard on “Flat Top” off “A Boy Named Goo” (1996). It would seem that Rzeznik has become a lot happier in his life, and it’s fascinating to hear his music document that journey.

 
5. Bringing On The Light
It’s often hard to ignore the slight problem that bassist Robby Takac can’t sing, but on the first of his traditional two-track spell, the best elements can be heard underneath his smoky rasps. This is probably one of the best tracks on the album in terms of instrumentation; it provides edgy rock and a “turn up the amp” attitude. Finally, and it has been ages, Rzeznik sings some proper backing vocals, showcasing the longevity of a friendship that has lasted since the two met as gravelling punk rockers in their hometown of Buffalo, New York in the late 1980s. Listen for the piercing lead guitar in this one.


6. Come To Me
The Love Ballad. A Goo Goo Dolls record wouldn’t be the same without a stringed love song, even if this one does get a little soppy at times. Apparently Rzeznik tried to grow a beard when writing it, and in one of his interviews he mentioned that the song represents his relationship with his fiancé, looking forward to their marriage.

“Today’s the day I’ll make you mine / So get me to the church on time” rings wedding bells and first dances, much like “Iris” has been for many couples. It also brings back memories of an acoustic Goo Goo Dolls (i.e. the one we love). The “doo doos” were a risk, but work an absolute treat on this song, and it adds a genuine quality to the overall feel. For all the aspiring singer songwriters out there trying to score with women, you might find the trick with this one.

 
7. More Of You
Along with Rebel Beat, the “Hey’s” in this track demonstrate the Goos straying away from what they’re good at; they’re not the Lumineers!! Miss out this song, for its dullness doesn’t give the record justice, especially as an electronic undertone distracts the listener from the melody. I don’t even want to review it in any more detail.


8. Bulletproofangel
This sombre yet lifting ballad gives the record a bit of a breather, and in that way acts as one of the more complex tracks. The echoes of electric guitar sound like they’re submerged under water in the distance, like a forgotten love that lingers in your mind. Brilliantly mixed, it’s another keeper. “I see her in the morning / standing in the middle of the street / the suits don’t even notice / she’s staring at her feet” are the bravest opening lyrics to a song that I have heard in a while. It may be a little soft of me, but it’s beautifully written. Also, for big fans, you’ll notice the connection between their past song “Bulletproof” off “Dizzy Up the Girl.” Maybe it’s the sequel?

 
9. Last Hot Night
I’ve read one reviewer compare this to a re-issue of “Stay With You” off “Let Love In” (2006). I have to say, he has a point, the chord structure is identical. Unfortunately, this song represents the more weary side of the Goo Goo Dolls which often runs out of things to write about, so they just plug a generic rock song into the gap. It’s fun, but nothing special. It’s the last hot night in America / It’s the last hot night in the world” might not help the image of insular Americans as well. It’s like the World Series of baseball packaged into a song, and that isn’t necessarily a good thing if you’re not American.


10. Happiest Of Days
To Takac’s credit, he has played second-fiddle to Rzeznik’s ballads for decades now, and that’s probably the right way of thinking. But on “Happiest of Days”, we get to hear a sincerity that we haven’t heard from Robby before. The melody is a little mundane, but there is an unavoidable charm about this track, and as it builds and builds, you can’t just help feel a little smile form across your face. Simple and happy – just the way we like it.

 
11. Keep The Car Running
Awesome final track. I first heard this song when the band played it live on their live-stream concert at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Lyrically, it holds a great perception on human attitude. Sometimes, “Yeah, we’re making something out of nothing / Yeah, yeah keep the car running” is the truest and most honourable way to live one’s life. To take life as it comes, move forward and never look back; to jump in a convertible and drive down California’s Highway 1 with the sun on your back (I’ve personally done this one).

It makes you realize we’ve only got one shot, so you might as well make it last. It’s yet another example of why the Goo Goo Dolls are underrated. Rzeznik is a philosophical poet at times, even if his lyrics are linguistically humble; they tug at mental strings that other musicians simply cannot reach.

 
8/10

Overall, it would seem “Magnetic” is an album of two stories – one which embraces an upbeat future through an old style of emotional alt-rock, the other a tired forty-something trying to reinvent his sound. In that regard, it’s pretty hard to nail down my thoughts on this album as a whole. In so many ways, this band has affected me more than any other on the planet, simply because their music actually means something, yet still manages to produce undeniably catchiness to every note they produce. So even if “Magnetic” has a few rough spots, there are three or four fantastic tracks. They show the same Goo Goo Dolls that inspired me to pick up a guitar, and in that regard, this album is a success for my ears. Compared to “Something For the Rest of Us” (2010) which I would give a 5/10, “Magnetic” gets a strong 8/10.

 
The Goo Goo Dolls are:

John Rzeznik – Lead Vocals/Guitar

Robby Takac – Bass/Backing Vocals

Mike Malinin – Drums