ALBUM REVIEW: Mother Mooch - “Nocturnes”

By: Jake Wallace

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: Out Now

Label: Krauted Mind Records

Their blend of psychedelia with grunge and stoner rock/doom is a highly sought after formula and Mother Mooch are keeping the secret closely guarded - and rightfully so.  ‘Nocturnes’ is an astounding album from a band that have the potential to conquer the world.

“Nocturnes” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). This Tempest

2). Sinners

3). My Song 21

4). Into the Water

5). L.H.O.O.Q.

6). Misery Hill

7). Hive Mind

8). Out On the Western Plain

The Review:

Mother Mooch are a 5-piece psychedelic doom grunge outfit from Dublin, Ireland. Originally releasing their highly-acclaimed debut album ‘Nocturnes’ back in November 2015, the band have now re-released it on vinyl through Krauted Mind Records (GER) and it is a stunning album from start to end, showcasing the amazing talent bursting out of Dublin’s stoner rock scene. 

Comprising of 8 tracks in total, the album has a diverse range of styles in the mixing pot. The first track, entitled ‘This Tempest’ kicks off the album and straight away you get the psychedelic grunge sound with a superbly tripped out intro that gives vocalist Chloë Ní Dhúada all she needs to give you a taste of her incredibly soulful voice. It’s an effortless display of vocal-work and becomes very hypnotising as the album progresses. The track slows down into a great jam around the 3-min mark and guitarist Sid Daly provides the flaming lead guitar work over a great grungy chord progression. 

‘Sinners’ is the next track on the album which starts off with a swinging guitar riff that you could listen to all day without it losing it’s initial impact. The band make great use of this rhythm and it works extremely well with Chloë’s vocals and the subtle touches of backing vocals adding an extra layer of depth to the song. There are so many different elements coming into play with this band and just when you think you know what it sounds like, it changes ever so quickly. They have a huge slab of the Palm Desertscene in their sound with a raw Seattlegrunge sound as well as the psych/stoner rock sounds of bands like Purson, Blood Ceremony or Electric Citizen.  

‘My Song 21’ is the third track on the album and is probably one of their most grungy punk sounding songs. Very upbeat and packed with energy, it’s a hell of a wild ride. It’s also the shortest track on the album at 1:29 but it’s a great little blast of energy to remind you these guys can put on an action packed live show. 

‘Into the Water’ is the fourth track on the album and begins with a beautiful clean sounding guitar riff. It patiently glides along while the drums and bass wrap themselves into the mix so perfectly. Yet again, Chloë’s vocals are so soulful and powerful and the entire intro section is a work of art. Then before you know it, the main riff of the song comes in and it is dripping in bluesy stoner rock goodness. The coalescence between the clean sounding passages and the main riff is incredible and they gel together perfectly to construct a truly outstanding track. Around the 3:27 mark, the track takes flight into a final wah’d out section of blasting tempos which brings it to a close.

Track 5, entitled ‘L.H.O.O.Q’  kicks off with a bang and doesn’t fuck about from the get-go. Straight away we have riffs, solos, ripping bass lines and crushing drumming. This is a total rocker and the chorus section is undoubtedly catchy. ('The Mona Lisa in your head!')

‘Misery Hill’ is track 6 on the album and yet again we’re slapped in the face with more killer riffs. The tag ‘psychedelic doom grunge’ is definitely the most accurate way of describing this music. I just love the unreserved sense of calm in Chloë’s vocals no matter what the music is doing. The chorus section in this track is one of my favourites of them all. The way the riff leads the way and the backing vocals give her a pedestal to belt out those sublime lyrics. 

Track 7 ‘Hive Mind’ is definitely my favourite song on the album. Believe me, seeing this live is a hell of a solid performance and something you have got to see. It reminds me heavily of Tooland the vocals are just out of this world. They capture this incredibly dark, morbid sound so vividly. The drumming from Danni Nolan adds so much to this track and really makes it a primal, intense experience. This song also contains one of the most disgusting and filthiest riffs I’ve ever heard and just around 2:50 you will understand why. Total destruction everywhere. Danni returns in with the drums, building the atmosphere once again. Guitarist Farl also does some incredible work throughout this song and his precise style of playing goes incredibly well Sid’s lead work. 

The final track on the album is ‘Out on the Western Plain’. This is a story about cowboys and it ticks every box on offer. Such a solid, driving rhythm throughout and the phaser sounds on the guitars sound absolutely magnificent. Chloë’s vocal style is completely perfect for this type of music and her nonchalant aura emanates through the music - it’s controlled and soulful but loose and elegant at the same time. There are some serious bass lines present and some more ripping cosmic solos from Sid on this track and both guitars sound like the amplifiers have been erected on the moon. This is probably my silver medal winner after ‘Hive Mind’. 

‘Nocturnes’ is an astounding album by a band that have so much potential to get recognised on a global scale. They are without a doubt one of the best bands on the Emerald Isle in the present day and this record is hard evidence to support such a claim. Their blend of psychedelia with grunge and stoner rock/doom is a highly sought after formula and Mother Mooch are keeping the secret closely guarded - and rightfully so. 

“Nocturnes” Vinyl Limited Edition is available through Krauted Mind Records here and you can download the album from Mother Mooch’s official store here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

FFO: Electric Citizen, Purson, Blood Ceremony

ALBUM REVIEW: Electric Citizen - "Higher Time"

By: Jake Wallace

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 13/05/2016
Label: Riding Easy Records

‘Higher Time’ is a sincere reflection of a band that has been dedicated to having their own bespoke brand of ‘70s psychedelic rock. Driving riffs, solid rhythms, flawless vocals and explosive solos, this album is a superb follow-up to their debut release and shows how far the band have come since then. They have made this style of music appealing and popular in the modern day and show no signs of slowing down for the future.

“Higher Time” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Evil
2. Social Phobia
3. Misery Keeper
4. Devils in Passing Time
5. Golden Mean
6. Higher Time
7. Ghost of Me
8. Natural Law
9. Crux
10. Two Hearted Woman

The Review:

Cincinnati 4-piece psych rockers Electric Citizen have released their second record, ‘Higher Time’, on RidingEasy Records as a follow up to their 2014 debut release 'Sateen'. As with the first album, it was recorded at The Diamonds studio in Cincinnati by Brian Olive.

The album kicks off with ‘Evil’ and straight away you can tell why they chose this particular track name. Laura Dolan’s vocals are absolutely fantastic for this style of music and having a husband-wife combination with her husband Ross provides a unique kind of musical connection. The main riff is nice and chuggy and as the vocals blend in with the killer riffs, Laura’s voice is very reminiscent of Jillian Taylor’s vocal work in Philadelphia’s Ruby the Hatchet.

The next track ‘Social Phobia’ is some straight up Sabbathianriffage and the female vocals work incredibly well which makes you wonder what might’ve transpired if Ozzy had been a woman! Around the 2min 40 mark Ross unleashes into a ripping solo with some otherworldly sounds and raw talent oozing from his playing.  ‘Misery Keeper’, has a solid, driving riff throughout with some very interesting sections, drawing influence from a number of directions.

The first band that spring to mind are Dublin’s Mother Mooch who have a strikingly similar style and this combination of ‘70s style heavy rock riffs, psychedelic lyrics and female vocals is proving to be a heavily desired sub-genre of music due to the success of bands such as Ruby the Hatchet, Blood Ceremony and Purson in recent years. Electric Citizen have defined their sound and no matter what they turn their hand to, they are producing top notch psychedelic rock. Tracks 4 and 5 are packed with superb riffs and more soul-searing guitar solos from Ross.

The title track ‘Higher Time’ has a fairly simple structure but the raw power of Laura’s vocals combined with the sonic atmospheres lurking in the backdrop creates a very absorbing environment. After the slightly creepy spoken word interlude in the middle, the riffs wind back in and Ross launches off into another relentless guitar solo. The style of his solos are perfect for this style as it’s not taking away from the music or distracting you with elaborate guitar parts. It all just gels very nicely in a cohesive blend and the instruments all compliment each other as well as complementing Laura’s vocals.

‘Ghost of Me’ takes the tempo up a notch and they deliver the goods with some thrashing riffs and a slightly ominous tone from the keyboards combined with the entrancing vocals. ‘Natural Law’ is another fine example of how the band have defined their sound and set in stone their vision for both image and musical style. Ross’s solo playing is on fire in this track and his diversity as a rhythm and lead player really shows. ‘Crux’ has that swinging occult rock feel, it’s what I imagine lute players in medieval imbibing emporiums would’ve been playing if they had access to electric guitars, fuzz pedals and amp stacks. The final track ‘Two Hearted Woman’ begins with another master-crafted riff and it seems like Ross Dolan’s barrel of riffs has no end. The organ sounds are great in this track, layering a nice thick spread of sound among the rhythm section. The last section has the same stomping riff ascending up and up into a crescendo and the curtain falls bringing a close to an extremely solid album.

‘Higher Time’ is a sincere reflection of a band that has been dedicated to having their own bespoke brand of ‘70s psychedelic rock. Driving riffs, solid rhythms, flawless vocals and explosive solos, this album is a superb follow-up to their debut release and shows how far the band have come since then. They have made this style of music appealing and popular in the modern day and show no signs of slowing down for the future.

“Higher Time” is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

FFO: Ruby The Hatchet, Blood Ceremony, Purson