The debut that’s just what the Doctor ordered
Today’s kids would look at you like you’d gone mad, but honestly sometimes, back in the old days you’d go and buy records. Not stream them, actually physically pop into the shop and purchase.
MV, back in about 1993, was lucky enough to work right next to one such emporium, and every single lunchtime, somewhere in a grey suburb of Birmingham, we’d be in there looking for something new.
The reason for this nostalgia? Well, its right here and it’s the debut album from Arizona’s The Black Moods. Minds wandered back to that time just over twenty years ago for two reasons. First is MV would hazard a guess that the three who make up TBM have had similar experiences in their lives, but second, the sound of “Medicine” is rooted in that time – and it sounds very much like something we’d have picked up just for the hell of it.
Working on the principle that a good song is a good song from whatever era, this somehow manages to sound like Classic Rock but never dated. Perhaps because the 12 tracks here work on the principle of all you need is a riff, a verse and a chorus and barely anything here is over three minutes, there’s never time to be bored.
“Someone To Save Us” features a screeching solo from Josh Kennedy, “Say It For The Last Time” occupies a sort of Kings Of Leon arena dwelling space, “How Long” has got the words “College Radio Hit” writ large right through it, and that is essentially “The Black Moods” in a nutshell.
Stepped in rock history – Kennedy plays in a Rolling Stones tribute band just for grins and their name comes from a Doors documentary – The Black Moods have an almost total grasp on what they want to achieve.
Debut’s aren’t supposed to sound this polished or ready. Forget what is supposed to happen and listen to the understated “Paralyzed” instead. Then the fuzzy bass of “So Good” proves the whole thing isn’t a fluke too.
Music with the fat trimmed off. “Too Late Now” has echoes of Matchbox Twenty at their best, and there’s barely a wasted second on “Medicine” and when the Stones influence comes out on the sleazy “Right Now Anywhere” then that becomes a real highlight.
“Without A Warning” adds a flavour of their Southern roots, while “Can’t Sleep” begins with a mini drum solo, features a mighty hook and still clocks in at just over three minutes.
And that’s kind of how it goes. Perhaps because they are veterans of the live scene (it isn’t uncommon for TBM to play three shows a week back home apparently) these aren’t plans, but fully formed ideas.
“Within Without” really lets its hair down, while closing number, the initially stripped back “Whenever It Rains” (the album’s longest song at 3.59) can’t resist a Nirvana-esque loud verse/quiet chorus dynamic.
A record like this doesn’t need streaming. It’s timeless rock n roll – it needs buying. Just like the old days.
Rating 8.5/10
