Darren McLeod
11/23/06, 09:14 AM
Moneybrother - They're Building Walls Around Us
Record Label: Sabot Recordings
There are sometimes releases that make you stop and scratch your head. Sometimes that’s a good thing; the album has caught you by surprise, is bold and original. Sometimes, it can be a bad thing – you’re not sure why anyone would bother wasting the money on postage to send in such a terrible, terrible disc. Luckily, They’re Building Walls Around Us falls into the former category, a disc that sounds so retro that one might think it was found in an archive of sorts and just put out as a re-release.
No, it’s not a re-release; it’s a fresh and original disc that is simply a throwback to the 70s. There are hints of soul, early rock, and disco thrown around the album, which is very evident on the first song (and title track). The opening notes render visions of roller discos, a steady circular pathway to euphoria erupting over spilled drinks and flared pants.
That is followed with another upbeat, dance-inspired track, “Reconsider Me,” and the album seems as if it may be the soundtrack to a long-forgotten musical: tender tales of misplaced love litter through the disc’s six tracks. The album slows down after this one, yet the emotion is maintained through the excellent execution of each track.
One of the highlights of the album, “Feelings, Getting Stronger in the Dark” a ballad of lament, the narrator waking up between the sheets with a woman, unsure if the feelings expressed during the passion the night before were genuine, or rather a night of lust. Singer and Moneybrother mastermind Anders Wendlin’s voice shines through the sorrow as he begs the rhetorical question “Do you love me? Or did the wine intensify your feelings, made it all feel right?” A few short lines later, he answers himself, realizing “Oh no, feelings that grow stronger in the dark will be lost in the light.”
Like the neo-classical movement of the 20th century, Moneybrother is the result of the realization that music can exist in both the past and the present, and maintain relevance to both time periods. An extremely solid disc, They’re Building Walls Around Us is a retro-pop gem, and one of the best EPs of the year.
Click Here (http://www.punknews.org/bands/moneybrother) to stream the EP
Record Label: Sabot Recordings
There are sometimes releases that make you stop and scratch your head. Sometimes that’s a good thing; the album has caught you by surprise, is bold and original. Sometimes, it can be a bad thing – you’re not sure why anyone would bother wasting the money on postage to send in such a terrible, terrible disc. Luckily, They’re Building Walls Around Us falls into the former category, a disc that sounds so retro that one might think it was found in an archive of sorts and just put out as a re-release.
No, it’s not a re-release; it’s a fresh and original disc that is simply a throwback to the 70s. There are hints of soul, early rock, and disco thrown around the album, which is very evident on the first song (and title track). The opening notes render visions of roller discos, a steady circular pathway to euphoria erupting over spilled drinks and flared pants.
That is followed with another upbeat, dance-inspired track, “Reconsider Me,” and the album seems as if it may be the soundtrack to a long-forgotten musical: tender tales of misplaced love litter through the disc’s six tracks. The album slows down after this one, yet the emotion is maintained through the excellent execution of each track.
One of the highlights of the album, “Feelings, Getting Stronger in the Dark” a ballad of lament, the narrator waking up between the sheets with a woman, unsure if the feelings expressed during the passion the night before were genuine, or rather a night of lust. Singer and Moneybrother mastermind Anders Wendlin’s voice shines through the sorrow as he begs the rhetorical question “Do you love me? Or did the wine intensify your feelings, made it all feel right?” A few short lines later, he answers himself, realizing “Oh no, feelings that grow stronger in the dark will be lost in the light.”
Like the neo-classical movement of the 20th century, Moneybrother is the result of the realization that music can exist in both the past and the present, and maintain relevance to both time periods. An extremely solid disc, They’re Building Walls Around Us is a retro-pop gem, and one of the best EPs of the year.
Click Here (http://www.punknews.org/bands/moneybrother) to stream the EP