Artist:
Goldfinger
Formed In:
1994
Band Bio:
Along with No Doubt, Sublime, and Rancid, the Los Angeles quartet Goldfinger helped contribute to a mini-U.S. ska-punk movement in the mid- to late '90s. The group was originally formed in 1994 by ex-Electric Love Hogs guitarist/singer John Feldmann and bassist/singer Simon Williams (who were both working at the same shoe store at the time), in addition to drummer Darrin Pfeiffer and an unnamed second guitarist (who would leave the group before any recordings could be issued and later become a pro surfer in Costa Rica). A friend of Feldmann's, Charlie Paulson, signed on shortly thereafter, playing his first show with the group just a day after being given a tape of their songs to learn. A six-track demo EP, Richter, was issued in 1995 and received favorable reviews and a substantial amount of airplay on college radio, leading to Goldfinger signing a major-label contract with Universal. Their self-titled full-length debut hit the record racks a year later, spawning the popular single/video "Here in Your Bedroom" (a track which originally appeared on their EP) and toured alongside the Sex Pistols, No Doubt, Reel Big Fish, and the multi-band festival the Vans Warped Tour.
1997 saw the release of their second full-length, Hang Up's, which failed to live up to the expectations set by their debut, although the group kept their profile in the public's eye by donating a cover of the Spiral Starecase song "More Today Than Yesterday" to the soundtrack of the hit Adam Sandler movie The Waterboy. Williams left the band in 1998, replaced by a former bandmate of Feldmann's from Electric Love Hogs, Kelly Lemieux, and Goldfinger debuted their new lineup with the eight-track all-covers live EP, Darrin's Coconut Ass: Live, a year later. The quartet's third studio release, Stomping Ground, was issued in 2000 as the group thoroughly toured both Europe and the U.S. (during their tour of England, Goldfinger recorded one of their sets, issuing the live Foot in Mouth, available only at shows and through the band's official website). Come 2001, it was Paulson's turn to jump ship, replaced by Brian Arthur (formerly of the Texas alt-metal outfit Unloco), as Goldfinger's first studio album for their new label, Jive/Zoomba, was issued in 2002 with Open Your Eyes. Disconnection Notice from 2005 found the group switching to the Maverick label.
Album:
Goldfinger
Tracks:
1. Mind's Eye
2. Stay
3. Here in Your Bedroom
4. Only a Day
5. King for a Day
6. Anxiety
7. Answers
8. Anything
9. Mabel
10. City With Two Faces
11. My Girlfriend's Shower Sucks
12. Miles Away
13. Nothing to Prove
14. Pictures
15. (Untitled)
16. Fuck You and Your Cat
Review:
The year 1996 was a breakthrough year for a new sound: the fusion of ska and punk. The Suicide Machines debuted, Less Than Jake made their major-label debut, but no one had more success with this new sound than Goldfinger on their self-titled debut. That could be because the band went even farther with their genre-bending, throwing metal and a touch of reggae into the mix. Or it could be because songs like the hit "Here in Your Bedroom" and "Mabel" are irresistibly catchy, creative, and, with such self-effacing lyrics as the maybe-size-does-matter line in "Mabel," hopelessly endearing. The album is an emotional roller coaster, from the self-affirming "Bedroom" ("You have changed/Cuz I still feel the same"
to the confusion of "Mind's Eye" ("Every time that I see you/I act like a different man"
to the oh-well-I-give-up humor of "My Girlfriend's Shower Sucks" ("It's like the shower's going pee"
. And there's plenty of anger and aggression left over for songs like "Answers." The album went gold in 1998.
Rating (Stars Out Of 5):
4
Release Date:
Feb 27,1996
Label:
Universal
Billboard Albums:
Billboard 200 Peak #110
Heatseekers Peak #1
Billboard Singles:
Modern Rock Tracks Peak #5
Genre:
* Rock
Styles:
* Alternative Pop/ Rock
* Third Wave Ska Revival
* Ska-Punk
Bitrate:
* 320kbps
File format:
* mp3
File size:
* 85.5MB
Similar Artists
* The Hippos
* The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
* Smash Mouth
* Five Iron Frenzy
* Steriogram
* The Benjamins
* Dance Hall Crashers
* Skankin' Pickle
* Let's Go Bowling
* Less Than Jake
* Horny Toad
* No Doubt
* Sublime
* Reel Big Fish
* Buck-O-Nine
* The Scofflaws
* Mustard Plug
* The Rude Boys
* Rancid
* Operation Ivy
* Bop (Harvey)
See Also:
* Story of the Year
Tracker:
http://www.demons-eye.net:2710/announce
