@KralTunes, written for @tonightatdawn
When I was younger, my sister and I would sleep over our grandparents every so often, and my grandfather would make us his specialty for dinner; roast beef, mashed potatoes, peas, carrots (sometimes, but hopefully not) and gravy. Sounds generic, but you see, it was all in the presentation. Rather than serving us a plate where everything was sectioned off, he would mix it all in a pot and serve it in a bowl. And we called this delicacy, MUSH, and it was glorious.
Now, why the hell am I telling you this nonsense story? Because this was the first thought that popped into my head while listening to the new PLUTO MOONS album, E$pooky E.P..
The Ultimate Amalgamation is the best way I can describe these Brooklyn boys (other than calling them mush). Their sound philosophy seems to be “Fuck it, put it all in!” , and the strange thing is, it works! Opener ‘$pooky’ says it all; theres a groovy riff, synths straight out of the 80’s, and I swear I hear Tibetan Monk chants!
‘#Badgoodbye’ may turn out to be the winner of the chicken dinner. It contains more keyboards and effects, falsettos abound, and a chorus that immediately reminded my of a Krofft show from those glorious 70’s.
‘Skyler Lewis Fulton’ has a more hip hop bent, complete with auto-tuned lyrics, until it turns into a riff-fest in the middle section before the obligatory rap verse, courtesy of Marley G to close rings out (the swerves that this track takes could cause a 50 car pile-up, but it would be a party, if nothing else).
‘Eyez’ has an earthy, Afro-Caribbean vibe working, coupled with some love-seeking lyrics:
Now I see the truth/You never know until you lose/Yeah I want to be with you.”
The music itself is the pulse that is driving this release, and this trio know their way around the world musical landscape.
“Improv 11613 Remix” may be a confusing name for a track, but this band is currently on a hot streak with me, so I shall question nothing!. The closer has a more minimal feel, with a hint of electronic and percussion (and mandolin?) thrown in to close out a wonderful release. Although it drags down the album down just a hair (like adding carrots to my mush), but not enough to lose its win as the first big hit for my 2015 listening season (carrots be damned!!).
Check it out for yourself:
Tonight at Dawn 