Among some of the tastier items for this year’s Record Store Day this Saturday (20 April), is two, soon-to-be-collectors-items Run To Your Mama remix 12-inches from the mysterious Goat. Boasting a strong showing in many end of year lists for 2012 debut album World Music (below), a sold out London show and a Glastonbury slot in the bag, little is know about the Swedish group. Not only do they play all their gigs masked, refusing to reveal their identities but so far all the group have said about their origins is they come from small village Korpolombolo, where according to legend, a voodoo curse from “a travelling witch” is still enforce and can be “felt throughout the grooves of the Goat records.” True to form the band have written us not one but two guest columns. The first from The Goat itself and the second from drummer “Benny”. Whether you want to embrace the myth-making or the men and women behind the band is up to you, but only the music of Goat itself offers true enlightenment…
The Goat writes…
“During the celebrations people always gathered outside the old temple. Sometimes during the winter the north wind, blowing fiercely through the barren landscape, would make a drone of its own and collide with the music seeping out from inside of the temple. Music which in itself was no more than a modest homage to the unchanging, The Goat. The eternal seer. This is were I was born.
This is also where I saw him the first time. This is where we sang for the swans.
When we play music together we transform from being several single human units into one greater being. One collective mind and body free of references and labels not even striving towards any particular point or goal anywhere. Simply enjoyment of what is. Right now. There are numerous ways to achieve this, music being only one of them. The one I am most familiar with.
I can always sense their presence. Since before I had concepts of them even. Like rats in the shadows.
Often I came there to sit down, to rest. Most outsiders would not go there at all. Not even set foot in the unclean grounds. I saw the blood stained walls surrounding us all many times while I slept. The violence. And I also saw others there. Heard the loud cries of the ones lost to fear. Witnessed the madness within..”
“Benny” writes…
“Meeting the people from Goat, not trying to sound cheesy here, really changed my life. I have been into music since the Venom tape I got from my uncle back when I was seven years-old (Hej Tommy). I did not understand it when I heard it. I think it scared me even but I knew that this was for me. That this is what I want to spend my time doing. Since I had quite cool parents they gave in after a couple of months of nagging and bought me what would be my first drumkit. I hammered on those drums like a proper little savage. Pounding and pounding them endlessly for hours.
Then later on I found myself being part of the first boom of black/ death metal coming out of Sweden in the early 90s. Those were fine times I tell you. My life was all about music, partying, rehearsing, releasing music, more partying, the occasional wank, and so on… I left before it got totally watered out though and around 95 I moved abroad to try and do something that mattered.
When I returned to Sweden a couple of years ago a lot of things had changed and nothing had changed at the same time. Almost by accident I met a guy during a trip up north. We stayed in touch mainly because of our shared interest in collecting old Swedish folk music LPs. Then later on he introduced me to some of his friends – namely Goat. I was home.
To be a part of this experience is humbling and I am ever so grateful for this opportunity for however long this adventure lasts.”
For more head to Goatsweden.blogspot.co.uk. Goat release double A-side Dreambuilding and Stonegoat on 3 June.
