Moosejaww
"Seduce and Paralyze" CD
self-released
Genre: rock, indie rock
Brooklyn, NY
Dec 2, 2008 |
Brooklyn is home to a whole host of rock bands, so if you want to
stand out you need to be pretty good. Spirited quartet Moosejaww
seems to have its priorities straight, working with a zig-zaggy,
melodic formula informed by the likes of The Promise Ring,
Lucy's Fur Coat, as well as several nineties-era
"alternative" rock bands. Seduce and Paralyze's best asset is
the positively charming "Kitty," a slick and springy pop song with a
satisfying feel-good chorus. There's a bit
of Radiohead in there, especially in the well-segued falsetto
bits, but the overall effect is more traditionally pop.
Ex-Vancouverite Seamus Blake's vocals are a strange combination
of melody and off-key monotony, which is somewhat counterintuitive but
remarkably effective. The band exudes
power and depth on blistering highlights "Rollercoaster" and
"Anaconda" but also pulls off pretty slow
song "Coming Down" and soft "Lucia" famously.
Only occasionally does Moosejaww's formula slip into
mediocrity, most noticeably near the disc's end (shoddy
"Going, Going, Gone," wallowing "It Takes
Two to Know One.")
Overall, Seduce and Paralyze is a well-constructed,
infectious rock album that struck me as a pleasant surprise. I don't
know if I will remember Moosejaww five years from now - part of
that depends on how their career develops - but this record is
certainly worthy of repeated rotation. With goodness as
their baseline, and greatness at
their peaks, these four Brooklynites have
replenished my faith in the currently inconsistent independent music
scene.
moosejaww's
myspace
80%
youuuuuuuutube!:
"betsy"
live
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 10 tracks, distributed by
the band,
released 2008] |