Thursday, August 8, 2013

Mojo Waves - "Lo and Behold"

 


 Regular blog readers may remember the Finnish trio, Mojo Waves 3 song EP, which was reviewed here. The band was young and had their chops together.  The vocal  still sound like helium balloons were sucked seconds before the recording process but it definitely gives these guys a cool and not often-heard sound.  On their facebook page Mojo Waves describe themselves as a garagedelic rock band and honestly, that's about the size of it as they combine straight up no-nonsense garage rock with 70's style psychedelic hard rock.

There's weighty fuzzed out riffs and the energy isn't as frantic as the 3-song EP but it's still there only a little more stripped back which carries more weight in the band's longer outing.   In the past review, I stated that the vocals may be a weakness on a full length but they definitely make the band stand out from all of the cookie cutter rock and metal crowd.

"Mousetrap" is an appropriately named highlight.  The vocals resemble a screaming rodent and there's a steady garage rock stomp with a little fuzzed out guitar.  You cross your fingers while you wish on the fate of the mouth.   "Flowers" has a Byrds style harmony and combined with the no-bullshit rock and roll, there's a dirty sweetness that will appeal more to those who like a rawness to their music.

A few of the riffs here and there are familiar but often the reason many things in music are cliched is only because they are good. As Mojo Waves bandcamp states this is, "Music that is clear and fuzzy but at the same time clear and peculiar."   It will be interesting to see what this trio does next.

Check the album out for yourself on the  Mojo Waves bandcamp site.

4/5


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