For those uninitiated MOON is the new prog-rock project of vocalist/ guitarist Steve Balbi (Mi-Sex, Noiseworks), bass guitarist/ vocalist Mark “Swine” Ward (Pearls and Swine, Plastic Fingers), and drumming prodigy (and #1 drummer under 25) – Jagger.
Channeling sleepmakeswaves and Mogwai with a side dish of Black Sabbath blended with the pop sensibilities of U2; MOON creates 21st Century rock, taking the expanse and ambition of post-rock, but in tight three-minute packages that explode out of the speakers.
Having just signed to Golden Robot Records the band are now unleashing their brand new record The Orbitor and to celebrate they’re given us a track by track run down of the release. Check it out below and if you like what you’re hearing pop by goldenrobotrecords.com or the band’s Facebook for more info.
Taking A Right
This being the opener is the perfect antidote to the closing track ‘Orbitor’, after all, space ships need a launch pad and that’s exactly what this handsome monster sounds like. From a drumming perspective it says straight up; “Hey you think I’m just all fancy chops well think again and let this three locomotive groove pull and push the listener to the backseat of his car and while you’re there the fuzz driven bass and twin guitar work slash you a new hair cut, but we aren’t your standard number 1 2 or 3 cut.
This hairdresser actually made the customer look and feel good with a modern yet well thought out design. 10 out of 10 for a melodic sonic, yet raw, tapestry. Vocally it sounds Uber cool on the main vocal while the backing vox have that falling of a cliff vibe. Raw, unprocessed in an era of bubblegum on steroids, it makes for a refreshing change. Think U2 meets a refined Foo Fighters and you will be on the right benchmark.
Ronnie Biggs
This tune is about the infamous UK train robber Ron Biggs who celebrated his life of freedom in Brazil. He ran tours and even appeared in The Great Rock n Roll Swindle by the Sex Pistols who probably thought they found their real Dad.
Don’t let the title deceive you though this track can lift you so high or even dare I say make a grown man cry. Emotion, emotion, emotion, plus. Steve’s vocal and guitar picking on this piece over Jagger’s unbelievable tom tom work, with Swine creating an endless guitar feedback sustain takes this song to the level of “lets silence the critics for a wee five minutes”. As it floats it hits the outro with a very Zep-like string stab movement where the band lock like a machine and Jagger fools them all with an epic 3/4 to 5/4 drum turn around that would fool players four times his age.
What’s good about this epic tune is they make it sound extremely simple. These tracks were recorded live ‘warts and all’ with very minimal keys so it’s loads of guitar tricks that introduce the sonic swirl. Reminiscent of the days where bands didn’t write hit singles, they just wrote great songs. Enjoy the ride like Mr. Biggs did.
Sidewinder
The blues had a baby and they called him rock n’roll. That was 60 years ago. Since then we’ve had genres emerge like heavy metal, death metal, hard rock and so on. This track deserves a new title; MUSCLE METAL. It’s a bit more than simply hard rock.
The song motors along with another freight train Jagger groove and when you don’t expect it, it actually go’s into musica diabolica (a term used by the Spanish inquisition to describe the tritone scale), which ends this twister cyclone explosion. It’s easy to forget that its human hands behind these musical moments. The band released a taster video on Youtube for a few weeks, which received well over 20,000 hits.
The End Mission
Here’s a drum solo to feature a young boy with only his pure soul to offer. We are truly naked in this world and that’s how I’d describe this passage of music. Instead of going triplet after triplets, Jagger lays down a mood solo.
In some ways it’s reminiscent of the start of ‘Money For Nothing’ by Dire Straits. Towards the end, Jagger starts to lay down some amazingly quick hand and footwork – he smashes the drums like they disintegrate into sand that would slip through your hand.
His style is also very fluid, which reminds me of riding in an rudderless boat going down a really fast river but all the while feeling completely safe. Throw into this combination the swells of keys from Swine, topped off with Steve’s velvet production and you have grandma’s winning soup recipe.
Ten Years
If optimism had a sound, this is it. The struggle of youth in a dark corner trying to escape. You will hear a shimmering of exuberance that sets free all young souls dealing with separation of loved ones. In a Radiohead kinda way, this song title belies itself – it could almost be called ‘100 years’ as it has a maturity far beyond its title.
Let it wrap its arms around you and hold you close all night during the coldest of winters. In an era of modern love, there is hope as they are throwing darts in non-believers’ eyes, a situation where the cynics and the critics become the actual dartboard.
This is a brave song filled with optimism. The vocal Steve performs on this little gem has a true edge to it that brings the listener to a warm spot we all have inside. The epic guitars, combined with some beautifully recorded orchestra arrangements, says one thing: CLASS.
Chasing A Lie
Well we have all chased a lie in some sort of fashion. If ‘Suffragette City’ had a sister, this would be it. I have my mirror sunnies on, I’m driving a highway south of Frisco in my convertible, life is nearly perfect. What’s missing? Ah that’s it! I slip on ‘Chasing A Lie’ from MOON and it all seems just right.
Besides an amazing solid groove from Jagger that stinks of Charlie Watts there is also another young guest muso on this scorcher – the 12-year-old soul of Balbi plays the pumping up the middle chunk guitar. The song embraces all that is classic.
Innately has a retro feel but it’s more than ’70s tones and riffs. The main signature riff is another cruncher like in ‘Sidewinder’. This will even drag the most unexcitable gig goer out of his seat. It’s a toe tapper on stimulants. Another feature is the dual vocal style of Swine and Steve. It’s a conversation we have all had, great simple rock songs always seem to work. Enjoy this slice of minimalism.
Heart Song
U2 are masters of the big bold and beautiful and ‘Heart Song’ picks up this mantle, but rawer and – if I dare say – bigger.
This is where Jagger breaks a packet of sticks and Swine and Steve take you to the stadium. I hear a lot of experience in this track as the awesome dual guitars interplay while the bass just drives along like it has a set of bullhorns. Just as you think this can’t get any bigger it comes to the outro, which is a cacophony of chordal work that creates a giant emotion. The halftime leading to this showcases the pure punch of Jagger’s arms.
Let’s hope he doesn’t become a kung fu artist as I’d hate to be on the receiving end of his relentless attack. Meanwhile the vocals don’t start until the outro, which is what makes this album so cool and brave at the same time. The lyrics are quite simple and heartfelt obviously for a very special person. The orchestration is world class giving the band a real sense of diversity that takes many bands years to gain.
The Orbitor
As I said on reviewing the first song, all space ships need a launch pad, well ‘Orbitor’ is what it sounds and feels like floating around the Earth in your jellyfish-shaped space craft sitting inside on the sofa looking down at home.
Like ‘Major Tom’ it does create a sense of empty loneliness, also with the thought of there is no way back home. We all have moments of feeling like ‘The Orbitor’. You are also untouchable in this time and space. Like all MOON tracks there’s more halfway through as we hit the turbo rocket and actually go further into space then we could imagine. Enjoy this extremely well crafted raw dynamic album. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 lift off.
