Posted by The highly anticipated latest album from The Moons is here and it’s set to be their finest work yet. A follow up to 2014’s ‘Mindwaves’ sees the mighty Moons fuse sixties-inspired pop, folk, indie, blues and soul, a delicious concoction that has something for everyone – ‘Pocket Melodies’ is a masterclass from start to finish.
Recorded live with a string quartet in the legendary Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios, ‘Pocket Melodies’ is just the thing to cheer up a nation and in particular the charming ‘Maybe I’m the Perfect Man (for you) – a joyful little number is bound to put a smile on your face with its touching lyrics and jangly guitars.
Featuring a plethora of unforgettable tracks such as the anthemic ‘Riding Man’ (inspired by Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins) – a rousing number with dreamy harmonies and a rousing sing-along chorus that has fast become a favourite with Moons’ fans. Another standout is ‘Today’, a dreamy yet surging song with a real nostalgic feel (as is standard with The Moons).
‘Far Away’ with its poignant lyrics and its hypnotic drumming from Ben Gordelier sounds almost Dylan-eque and the soul searching ‘Where Are You Now?’ (which tells the tale of the father that Croft never knew), has a slight country feel with touches of psychedelic rock and blues thrown into the mix.
‘The Old Brigade’ is a triumph and you can hear the influences of singer and songwriter Andy Croft’s heroes The Kinks and The Small Faces. Andy wrote all the songs on the album (although Paul Weller did co-write the ‘Tunnel Of Time’ with him) and continues to cement his place as one of the UK’s finest songwriters.
The storytelling on ‘Rear Window’ showcases this perfectly. Inspired by the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name, this is a cleverly written song about observation “Rear window, where I see you all from / Different kinds of people, living different kinds of lives, in many more ways than one…”
‘Pocket Melodies’ is a sublime, well-crafted collection of irresistible songs which will be a welcome addition to any music fan’s collection.
8/10
Words: Emma Harrison
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