On the surface, Bob Moses\u2019 first album appears to be a simple mix of wistful indie-pop songwriting and chilled-out house music, but there\u2019s so much roiling under the surface that it takes a few listens to really appreciate \u2013 and once you do, you\u2019ll instantly be drawn in to the smoky world of Days Gone By<\/i>.<\/p>\n
The duo behind Bob Moses (it\u2019s just a name, like Pink Floyd) is singer Tom Howie and musician Jimmy Vallance; they have released a couple of EPs and are known to a select few, but the release of this disc bolstered their profile a bit. The \u201chit\u201d song \u2013 at least on alternative rock radio stations \u2013 was a remix of \u201cTearing Me Up\u201d that trimmed two minutes off the original and enhanced the EDM aspects of the song a bit.<\/p>\n
The notion of combining moody songwriting and vocals with electronic beats isn\u2019t new, of course, as bands like Depeche Mode perfected the form in the 1980s. But Bob Moses isn\u2019t about hitting hard or making pop singles, but rather creating brooding atmosphere, the kind of restrained yet insidious music that works as well in the bedroom as it does on the dance floor as it does in the car on a rainy Midwest day. The pop smarts of the disc allow for a wealth of vocal hooks and the beats are the vehicle that carry those hooks, and if Days Gone By <\/i>stays in its lane pretty rigidly for its hour-long run time, the variations on this basic theme prove that these guys pretty much nailed this sort of intoxicating blend.<\/p>\n
To be sure, the repetition within the songs may be a turnoff to those who crave dynamics, since Vallance has a tendency to state his initial theme with the first couple of minutes and then repeat it several times. Nearly all the songs drift into the six- or seven-minute range when four or five minutes would do. Of course, you\u2019ll be lost in your own world while listening anyway, so it\u2019s no major concern.<\/p>\n
Besides, there are enough moments that seamlessly blend the two styles, thanks primarily to Howie\u2019s smoky voice. \u201cBefore I Fall\u201d is easily a hit single, mining the same atmosphere as the rest but adding a dash of guitar and a more conventional song structure to create a melancholy gem. The original version of \u201cTearing Me Up\u201d is the standout track and the emotional midpoint of the album, riding a popping bassline and simulated finger snaps under Howie\u2019s husky vocal telling of unrequited love for a woman already taken, then exploding into layered vocals with a slight guitar riff underneath in the catchy chorus. You barely notice the EDM trick as the bass drops out while the vocals rise in a crescendo before slamming back for the chorus.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s these layers, this attention to detail and this atmosphere that makes this disc a success. If there\u2019s a detriment, it\u2019s that each track is deliberate in its pacing and structure and there is little variety, meaning as much as Days Gone By <\/i>inhabits its own world, it\u2019s a world that gets a little too <\/i>gray after a while. It\u2019s tough to get through in one sitting without some sort of shift in dynamics. \u201cNothing At All\u201d tries to shake things up a bit with its up-and-down bumblebee buzz bassline, but it only serves as a waystation between the icy sculptures like the title track, \u201cWriting On The Wall\u201d and the closing \u201cTouch And Go.\u201d Again, these are all good songs in and of themselves, but they\u2019re all very similar to each other and, frankly, tough to tell apart after a while.<\/p>\n
But Bob Moses shows considerable pop smarts, hook-writing ability, and an ability to effortlessly blend modern indie with modern house electronica to create a unique atmosphere. One feels with a little editing \u2013 and maybe a dash of flair \u2013 their next album will be even better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":33106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[9983],"rating":[5615],"class_list":["post-44895","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-bob-moses","rating-rating-b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/44895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/44895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=44895"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=44895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}