Review: “Quodlibet” by Noah Gokey

Noah Gokey is a self-proclaimed “eclectic” band set on fusing many genres together. They’ve released nine studio albums over the years, including The End of the Beginning in 2019 and The Doubt of the Benefit in 2009.

Their newest album, Quodlibet, features fun and funky songs incorporating inspiration from just about everywhere, from funk to heavy metal. 

“Quodlibet” means a collection of common tunes and texts. It can also be a philosophical point brought up for an argument. It’s a fitting title for an album that mish-mashes many different genres throughout the album.

You can find Noah Gokey’s music through their website, noahgokey.com, as well as on Spotify. 

Track Review

“Eclectic” is definitely the best word to describe this album, but sometimes, eclectic goes beyond quirky and cute and turns into a disorganized mess. Quodlibet walks a fine line between the two.

Some songs work better than others. For instance, “Train” and “The Long Haul” take inspiration from totally different genres but still make sense in the same album. They fit the bill for those “artisanal songs and poetry” that Noah Gokey claims to write. 

But where on Earth did “Compliant That Day” come from, and how does it fit into the album? While most of the songs on the album are between 3 and 5 minutes long, “Compliant That Day” clocks in at over 6 minutes long. The song sticks out from the rest with its alt-rock and metal influences. While it fits in with the track before it, “Fight Fight Fight,” the folky and soft tune “Talking Loudly, Saying Nothing” comes as a surprise afterward.

This album left me wondering who the intended audience is supposed to be. I consider myself to be a musical generalist, and I still felt confused after listening to the whole album.

Additionally, I found the singer’s voice very nasal, which made it hard to pay attention to the lyrics at times. 

On the bright side, the bassist had some great lines throughout the album. Not listening to the vocals and lyrics allowed me to pay more attention to the instrumentals, and I ended up really enjoying the bass and drum lines throughout many of the songs. Particularly, the funky bass line in “On the Rooftop” was really fun to listen to.

Overview

I can’t say Quodlibet is anywhere near my favorite album, or even in my top alternative albums. 

Overall, the mashup of genres was a good concept, but this album took the eclectic factor to an extreme that left me confused. Because it was so all over the place, I couldn’t remember which song was which, even after listening to the entire album multiple times. 

Noah Gokey’s work appeals to me a lot more on an individual level, as many of the songs do have fun and interesting topics that clearly stick to a genre. However, when all those songs come together into an album, the work as a whole is far less appealing.