Album Thoughts
If you'd told me that The Rainbow Goblins would be one of my favorite things I'd listen to in 2026...
I’d absolutely believe you, but I’d be very intrigued as to what the hell it was.
Song Notes
Prologue
- So idyllic.
- A dewy spring dawn that would put Bambi to shame…
Once Upon a Song
- An adventurous romp!
- The guitars and bass are so jaunty and springy.
Seven Goblins
- This is the banger on this album for me.It’s so funky.
- The running riff with the sax and bass and guitar all together, with the drums driving everything forward… It’s distractingly good, and very catchy.
- Then the guitar solo takes off, climbing and falling and just blowing me all the way away.
The Sunset Valley
- Then the goblins get their first view into the valley, and it’s such a chill groove.
The Moon Rose
- It’s so wild how it’s so energetic, but still conveys the evening so wonderfully.
- The ethereal falling synth and reverb really sell it somehow.
- I suppose coming off of the energy of the previous several songs, it’s almost sleepy by contrast.
Soon
- Way more chill than the last one.
- The chord progression at the end of the phrase is so interesting!
- There’s so much less going on, but then it opens up and fills out the sound, then drops out to this real mellow staccato synth.
Thunder Storm
- I feel kinda cheesy calling this “electric”, but like… the whole album has been so evocative so far.
- It’s dramatic, especially in the back half of the song.
- If it weren’t for “Seven Goblins” this would be my favorite track.
Rising Arch
- So peaceful…
Just Chuckle
- Then that alto sax run down is so funky and silly!
Rainbow Was Reborn
- Hypnotically chill…
Plumed Bird
- This is the most Mario Kart track on this album, and it’s so good.
You Can Never Come to This Place
- A suitably epic finale to a wildly adventurous album.
General Thoughts
- The narration is so charming in this. It really does sell the children’s book feel.
- Everything about this is such a vibe. There’s so much instrumentation going on, but nothing, and I mean nothing feels out of place. The most that happens is a Spanish-style guitar comes in and it’s like flipping over a rock to see a particularly pretty beetle or something.
- I got so lost vibing to the music that I completely forgot to keep making notes before the end of “Soon” and into “Rainbow Paradise”.
- I know the goblins are framed as greedy and predatory, but like… they eat the colors to survive. Kinda can’t begrudge them all of that.
- A mythology story of why you can’t reach the end of the rainbow is a cool idea for a kid’s book!