Mos Generator ‘Nomads’ CD/DD 2012
You have to hand it to the good folks at Ripple Music, they know how to spot a band who write kick ass tunes. Not only are they great talent spotters, they are a collective of music fanatics for whom the whole thing is more than just a business and their roster boasts some great acts like Stone Axe, Grifter and Iron Claw to name but a few.
Somewhat incestuous maybe, but with having established a relationship with Stone Axe multi-instrumentalist Tony Reed in 2010, the chance was forged for his previous band Mos Generator to have another platform to bring their groove laced brand of hard rock to the masses.
Having seemingly burnt themselves out three years previously after earning a reputation of delivering incendiary and uncompromising live performances, not to mention chalking up an impressive four albums worth of material, the band looked like they were a done deal. In the hiatus the members have seemingly recharged their collective energies and rediscovered their love of playing their brand of deep, rich blues influenced rock together.
’Nomads’ sees the band emerge with fresh studio material for the first time in five years and in all honesty they sound all the better for the break. From the moment the album kicks in with the beautiful sounding ‘Cosmic Ark’ it is clear that the band are making timeless music that drips with melody, muscle and cool. The trademark styling’s are all present; Reeds guitar soars and dances from meaty riffs to elegant solos, whilst Scooter Haslip on bass and Shawn Johnson on drums are as tight as Ebaneezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve morning. Over this backdrop, Reed tells tales of struggle, introspective journeys, relationships, science fiction and making the best of this world with great panache.
The album is a joy to listen to from start to finish. be it from the total cool of ‘Lonely One Kenobi’ (best title ever…), the moments of gentle pleading of ‘Can’t Get Where I Belong’ or the classic rock stomp of ‘Torches’ and ‘For Your Blood’.
Bands are all about chemistry and Mos Generator still have it spades; it’s the little moments where the guitar drops out to let the bass and drums breathe, the moment they take a step back so the guitar in turn flourishes and all of this captured perfectly in the studio by Reed himself. Given the weighty nature of the subject material this could have been an over wrought affair, but in reality it is quite the opposite, it is a celebration of three people who know how to get together in a room and jam until they have produced music that gets you nodding your head and grinning from ear to ear.
Sure I could reel out a list of influences at this point or cite what I think I hear in the tunes on Nomads, but to do that would be missing the point. This is rock music, this is blues music, it’s music that speaks from the heart to the heart, if you need to analyse and nitpick it down to the bones, you’ve missed the point!
Welcome back Mos Generator.
Label: Ripple Music
Website: http://www.facebook.com/MosGenerator
Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden
