Ryan Goodnight: Press

Review of Carbon by The Triangle, Philadelphia:

With an opening challenge - "What we need is some honesty" - Ryan Goodnight's sophomore album, Carbon, goes on to deliver just that. What follows are rich, layered songs expressing a range of true emotions with haunting lyrics and driving bass and rhythm.

As singer and songwriter - not to mention guitarist, keyboardist, sound engineer and producer - it's clear that the album is a labor of love for Goodnight, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering. Judging by the quality of the album, you'd never guess that he did much of the work for it just last quarter in a small home studio.

What makes this album stand out, though, is not Goodnight's technical ability but rather what he does with it. He eschews the thumping club music and esoteric fluff that pervades much of electronica in favor of music that is easily accessible, yet meaningful, fun without being stupid or pretentious.

At times, Goodnight is heavy-handed and overly eager, like when peaking too soon in "I'm Not Giving Up." In spite and because of this, his songs remain earnest. This is especially fortunate because he has some down-to-earth and moving things to say.

From the despair of "Ashes" to the longing of "This is Not Goodbye," Goodnight uses succinct themes and interesting lyrics to express emotions familiar to all of us. In "Don't Wait for Me," he is self-sacrificing for a loved one, whereas in the upbeat "Ambition," he is, well, ambitious with braggadocio and beats to rival most rap today. "All I Need" and "Thought I Knew" are relatively simple, in contrast to "Other Side of You," which artfully employs a siren metaphor. "Slow Tears of Mourning for a Violent World" and "One More Second," are introspective and thoughtful, while at the same time "Skin Deep" aims to describe only carnal desire, albeit smartly. In song after song, Goodnight proves that he's no one-trick pony, exhibiting a range not often seen on a single album.

With elements from electronic, rock, rap, pop and R&B, Carbon has something for everyone. In addition, Goodnight's ability to express human emotions means that every song could well have come from the soundtrack of your life. To top it all off, buying this CD from an independent Drexel student will undoubtedly give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside to go with the fun and appreciation of the album.

Here's what people are saying about Electronic Inside:


Review of Bright Red Blood,
Yeah!
This is awesome! I like how it starts out with a meandering synth, and then jumps straight the fuck into your face and slaps you with a badass jam! This is just absolutely incredible, this is the best beat I've heard in ages. This is probably the best synth work I've heard in ages as well. The production is great, the mix is incredibly sharp, all the different parts cut through and are distinguishable, and also the arrangement of this tune is great. Wow, I'm just amazed. This is going on my playlist fer' sure.
- bhodges01 from Stillwater, Oklahoma on 31May2005

Review of The Sky is Falling,
Creative assault.
I'm wondering if this artist has spent time purposely considering how to confound expectations. After an initial pad sound that must be a standard untweaked factory patch, nothing arrives at the time or in they style one would expect. The constantly morphing drums sounds, effects and rythms, the old school pads that turn into twisted filtered beasts, the pipe-y squiggles and rubbery bass are all interesting choices and contribute to a barrage of ideas that lead to an uncommon feeling of assault. The treated one-line vocal and effects are the icing on the cake. This kind of thing can sound amateurish and shoe-horned together in unschooled hands - in this track it's clear that a talented soundscaper has put together a piece that stands out head and shoulders above the usual by numbers mush that beginners electonica on gargeband often is. And the final clue is the track ending after just 3 min - it's rare that I'd advaise anyone to make a track longer but there's room for each of this piece's myriad ideas to be given a little more time to develop. Bravo. I listened twice.
- EdenRogue from London, England, United Kingdom on 8Sep2005