Moonlight Towers
(Chicken Ranch)
Does anyone still hanker after crisp, soulful rock with a hand to its heart; i.e., music inhabiting a universe similar to that of Dwight Twilley, Graham Parker with the Rumour, or Greg Kihn? Perhaps more to the point, is there anyone who's heard Moonlight Towers and who hankers for more, whether or not he or she is aware of Twilley, et al.? The answer to the latter's gotta be affirmative: after all, the Austin-based power-pop quartet's been picked up by the Austin-based label, Chicken Ranch. The hands at CR seem to think with their hearts as much as their heads: the roster's packed with unsure bets seemingly chosen on the basis of talent and, um, special-ness, more than on any projection of breakout success, financial gain, etc. Okay; I doubt the label's headed by saints. But everything I hear from CR shines with a feeling that can only be described as authenticity. Sometimes, as in the case of Peelander-Z, it shines with outright, charming lunacy: How truly alternative.
"Do you remember the good times/or are they lost in your mind?" is James Stevens' way of popping the cork on Moonlight Towers' third release, Day is the New Night. Stevens' lead vocals transmit his thoughts and feelings without an ounce of inhibition - and an occasional touch of metal ballad nuance.
A band that keeps it this simple needs compositional chops and assured musicianship. Moonlight Towers get check marks on both counts. The unit feels seamless. The rhythm section's tight as a just-wound clock. In classic power pop mode, the guitars unobtrusively embellish and casually underscore melodies. The songwriting's handy in an older-school sense; featuring at least two parts (verse/chorus) and a satisfying sense of resolution.
Moreover, Moonlight Towers is possessed of a less effable quality that tends to distinguish important sonic art from the yada-yada. Passion burns. Riffs we've heard are artfully combined in new ways, and with riffs we haven't. Several of these tunes raise hairs on the back of my neck. To clarify, I have to fall back on comparison: I LOVE Paul Collins. I very much like The Loons. And nothing on either of those artists' recent releases has affected me like the tracks I suggest downloading. When music's this good, it hardly matters (to me) whether tons of other people "get it." Music this good makes me downright selfish: I just want Moonlight Towers to be fed enough to keep feeding me.
DOWNLOAD: "Black River," "Not a Kid Anymore," "Can't Shake This Feelin'," "The Easy Way Out," "Baby Don't Slow Me Down" MARY LEARY
