Moose albums
By
Jesse E. Mullen
If we’re going to talk about
criminally underrated records, then we can’t go without discussing Moose. The
band formed in Camdentown, London at the height of the “Shoegazing” movement in
1990. Fronted by singer/songwriter Russell Yates and guitarist/ songwriter KJ “Moose”
McCillop, , the band also included various rhythm sections and at one point, a
keyboardist. Active throughout the ‘90s to 2000 (with a break between 1996-99),
Moose never achieved the success they deserved, despite having one of the most
consistently great discographies of any of the big bands of the scene (Ride,
Lush, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive), and the decade in general (Pavement,
Pixies.) What follows are my assessments of every album Moose ever made, plus
the Jack EP from 1991.
Albums:
…XYZ (1992)
Propelled by the bright, crisp production of Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Let’s
Active) and would-be hit single “Little Bird (Are You Happy In Your
Cage?)", …XYZ is an exceptionally strong debut for Moose. Highlights
include “Soon Is Never Soon Enough” (a duet with Cranberries frontwoman Dolores
O'Riordan), and the aforementioned “Little Bird.” Perhaps the strongest though,
is the ballad “Polly.” A tender love song, with just enough ambiance to qualify
as dream pop, Russell Yates tells a story of love that has possibly been led
astray.
Honey Bee (1994)
Kicking off with the spritely “Uptown Invisible,” Moose’s first self-produced
record is a strong affair. Going back to the more textured guitar tones of
their earlier EPs, the band cook up some tasty concoctions for the ears of
shoegazing fans the world round. “Uptown” is a definite high point, introducing
the more prominent use of brass, something that would later become a hallmark
of Moose’s sound. Featuring perhaps their best attempt at a Velvets style indie
pop tune, “Around The Warm Bend” is gorgeous in every way.
Live A Little, Love A Lot (1995)
Moose continue their evolution on their third album, Live A Little, Love A Lot.
“Play God” features Liz Frasier of Cocteau Twins on guest vocals, their second
famous guest vocalist. “The Man Who Hanged Himself,” as in “I don’t want to be”
is a definite highlight, along with “First Balloon to Nice.” The more urbane
brass sounds continue to pop up, this time, on the wonderful “Rubdown.” And the
record also features two of their most Mary Chain-esque numbers, “Poor Man” and
“Old Man Time.” “Poor Man” is evocative of the indie pop that the Mary Chain
perfected on Darklands, and “Old Man Time” is evocative of The Mary Chain’s
biggest song, the majestic “Just Like Honey.” “So Much Love, So Little Time” is
a springtime dream pop tune for the ages, complete with cooing backing vocals,
light pianos, and tremolo guitars.
High Ball Me! (2000)
After a four year break, Moose returned to the studio in 1999 to record their
fourth and final album, High Ball Me. The hip, urbane sounds that previous two
albums only hinted at are out in full force here, particularly on “Can’t Get
Enough of You,” “The Only Man In Town,” “High Ball Me Baby!,” and “Keeping Up
With You.” “Keeping Up With You” in particular will be of interest to fans of
the shoegazing genre, as it features Lush vocalist Miki Berenyi on backing
vocals during the chorus for Moose’s final famous guest vocalist appearance.
“The Only Man In Town” is another highlight, with it’s textured percussion and
typically warm vocal from Russell Yates.
EPS:
Jack EP (1991)
The album that got them tagged as “Shoegazing,” a tag that would dog them for
the rest of their existence. Despite only being four songs, the Jack release
contains some of the finest moments of their early career. The title track
has layers upon layers of noisy guitars, with enough FX to qualify as
shoegazing. “The Ballad of Adam and Eve” balances pleasure and consequence with
ambient guitars, and pounding drums. Clearly form and creativity were a
balanced affair with this band from the beginning.
