GOAT, Commune

Out Sept. 23, Sub Pop, goatsweden.blogspot.com Whatever the unfathomable story behind Sweden’s GOAT actually is—a centuries-old religious sect from the northern climes of a Nordic country or some grand hoax—the ensemble’s returning with a follow-up to its 2012 debut, World Music. As the first disc displayed both in name and music, GOAT again mixes African rhythms into a krauty stew of psychedelia. Commune ramps up the polyrhythms, but also makes sure to throw in some overwrought ’80s-style tremolo guitar for “Words,” and either “To Travel the Path Unknown” or “Hide From the Sun” could rank as GOAT’s calmest moments. Somehow the band’s ability to move from meditative sedateness to unhinged wah-wah work out is what makes it such a unique troupe, regardless of its background.

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