Moses are a band hanging onto the coattails of poignancy in the most sincere way. Their music is brooding, heartfelt, and full-bloodied, directed towards the stars and hope. Almost dreamy, the band’s sound is a complex melting pot, with brazen guitars at the forefront, resounding vocal work and intelligent lyrics. These lyrics have been cut from a purposeful mind, a mindset dumbfounded by its creative spark.
Almost Everything Is Bullshit is the next chapter for Moses, an album of guile and drastic dreams. It’s also loud at points, subtle in parts, and not overly polished. And when it starts it crawls like an insect into the under-skin of your thoughts, beating down the barriers that hold your inhibitions. Not only does it make the hairs stand up, it conjures up snapshots of times when life never felt so draining.
Sapping us of joy isn’t on the cards, although there are pessimistic moments drilled into this collection of songs. Moments when raucousness is nullified, when all happiness seems to be placed aside by the hand that dealt. Over the course of Almost Everything Is Bullshit, jubilation soars and then descends into dust, but we need infusions of sullenness to counteract.
And melody fondles with those lurid guitar strokes. More so than not, there are slower embraces here. Songs of justice and love, or love being smashed to pieces by sharp and disgusting words. Words are everywhere on this release, they’re significant and crafted to tell tales of unrest in the world and what’s occurring close to home.
‘Cause You Got Me’ is a boisterous start. Instrumentally cohesive, it sparks fury. Vocally sound, it drags the listener into party mode. Lyrically, it conveys depressive moments. ‘Waiter’ is a softer carrier of some hope. That acoustic flair is infectious. The story goes like this: there’s a man waiting tables and looking for his estranged lust. She’s a piece of reason. ‘Joy’ begins with a solid riff. The chorus lingers, and the song becomes manic singalong. ‘Findings’ is yet another heart-puller. Acoustically driven, it tells the story of trying to dig deep for hope when struck by disbelief.
Moses design songs which alert the senses, songs bound in pessimistic notes. This doesn’t hinder their progression as a band to consider. Almost Everything Is Bullshit, tackles day-to day life, it also conveys times of misery and discontent. On the upside, the album has a purpose, and that’s a feat.
Review by Mark McConville
mosesofficial.com