The Butterfly Effect -Gone (single)

Sat 30th Sep, 2006 in Music Reviews

In the leadup to the 2004 Big Day Out, guitarist from The Butterfly Effect Kurt Goedhart told Rolling Stone that he didn’t think the band had yet written a song that could rival Take It Away, the lead track from their eponymous debut EP, released in 2002.  Their second album Imago however is packed with contenders for the title.

And perhaps foremost among these is Gone.  A slower paced ballad, especially in comparison to the album’s first single A Slow Descent, it nonetheless packs as hard a punch as any of their other material but is operating on a higher emotional level then just about every other track they’ve ever written. When reviewing the album a few months ago I said it was the work of a band not afraid to slow down and build on the melodic aspect of their songwriting, something the band will consciously admit to doing on this new album.  Like much of Imago, Gone is a stage for the operatic vocals of Clint Boge and the more prevalent than ever lead guitar of Goedhart.

Sadly, like any loud band trying to put a little bit of feeling into their music this will probably be tagged with the ‘e’ word, but to do so would be to deny what is one of the Aussie rock anthems of the year.  Rounding out the package is the previously unavailable album outtake ‘Mute’.  More reminiscent of Begins Here than many tracks off Imago, it is nonetheless worth a listen, bringing to mind their compatriots and frequent tour buddies Cog.

All in all it’s a fantastic single (only 2 bucks too), and probably the best chance the lads have had of scoring a huge hit single to date.

Watch the video clip for Gone here