There is nothing quite like Good Question: their sonic signature is a bold one, and their arrangement decisions are both imaginative and expressive. The songs on Safety Shackles, their confident new album, feature deftly-woven acoustic and electric guitar patterns, woodwinds, rich cello, rubbery didgeridoo, ghostly banjo, and twinkly celeste and glockenspiel. Percussion, too, is invariably creative: skittering snare augmented with occasional machine beats, bells, and even the occasional timpani.
Sean Goebel is one of the principle songwriters and producers behind "Good Question." Sean spent five years at the University of Calgary studying music composition and refining his craft, he graduated in 2006 with a BMUS in composition. Sean Goebel's melodies are quietly complex: they don't always do what you'd expect, and quite often, they lead listeners down strange and fascinating detours. In short, the spell cast by Good Question's music is a subtle one -- but it's a potent one, too.
In the band's hometown of Calgary, they're already recognized by music fans, promoters and journalists for their expressive performances, daring visuals and ambitious songs. Good Question's music hasn't reached a mass American audience yet, they're better known than you'd think: they've toured all over the world, including mainland China, and they'll be back out on the road this winter in support of Safety Shackles. The band consists of Mike McPhail (keyboards and vocals), Andrew Clark (drums), Brian Snyder (bass, guitars, and vocals) and Sean Goebel (vocals, guitars, banjo, and programming) who are now working with Hip Video, Vandala Concept and Crazy Lady Records.
"Take A Moment", the album's kick-off cut, is quintessentially Good Question: a gently infectious melody, an elliptical, engrossing acoustic guitar riff, atmospheric high strings and gorgeous cello, strong vocal harmonies, and Goebel's customary philosophical lyrics. He's a deep thinker -- one comfortable speculating about the mysteries of life and death -- and the singer's literary turn has drawn comparisons to other formidably-intelligent songwriters, including Colin Meloy of the Decemberists, Emily Haines of Metric, Neil Finn of Crowded House, and Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater.
(written by Andy Gesner president of Hip Video in New Jersey)