Wednesday, March 20, 2013

EP Review: Mooner - Unpronounceable Name

Judging from Mooner's  new EP, Unpronounceable Name, the music could get pretty adventurous tomorrow night when the former Portland, Oregon-based band takes the stage at Quenchers Saloon. Mooner moved to Chicago in 2011. The show starts at 8:30 PM; Arctic Sleep and Sparrows are also on the bill. Admission is $5.00.

Unpronounceable Name is a hard release to pin a label on since it veers from short and catchy to longer and more elaborate within the space the space of single EP. The discrepancy arises from Mooner’s two songwriters; Lee Ketch is more into power pop while his brother David prefers to delve into free-form indie rock. The band does well with both styles.

Still, the melodic and guitar-driven “Shapeshifter” is the obvious choice for the first single. “You are a lonely little firefly,” Lee Ketch sings in his quirky but appealing style. “You think you could be my guiding light.” It’s a fun song that has a few more wacky metaphors like that up its sleeve. The EP’s other power pop track, “Overrated,” is laced with satiric lines like, “It’s only exciting when you watch it on TV.”

The meandering “White Lines” is reminiscent of the way The dB’s dabbled in Country & Western, and some critics have seen a direct connection to the 1970s cult band Television. “Never Alone” glides easily through instrumental passages, with only a short, jarring bit of electric guitar. A full-length effort is even more likely find Mooner throwing curve balls our way. 

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