Cue The Moon
Thought Forgotten Spoken
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Label: Self-Released
As rock continues to stubbornly evolve (and devolve) for better or for worse, some artists cling on to familiar sounds for dear life. L.A.’s up-and-coming Cue the Moon presents an uncanny knack for delivering some of the most sugary, pungent and elusively familiar hooks. Whether you’re popping the four-piece’s debut into your stereo for the initial listen, or you’re on your fifth spin within two days (as may very well happen), the experience remains refreshing. Most tracks initially sound like they were face-lifted from any number of popular, left-brained rock and indie acts, but the band’s recipe of extensive influences cooks up a novel stew of rock’s finest elements.
Cue the Moon’s nursery-school rendition of the gospel staple “It’s Me, Oh Lord” is a deceptive album kick-off. Its impish, vintage aesthetic quickly proves itself the album oddity, as the proceeding staple “Pox” showcases the band’s true self. “Pox” is a successful exercise in Modern Rock 101; singer and key song-sculptor Kent Hutchison’s verses smirk with an aftertaste of humble sarcasm, while the choruses alternate between majestic psychedelia and a bottled-up frustration begging someone to “Take a thread and sew it back up/ Charming as it is/ Before you’re shaking hands with garbage.”
Under Ryan Parmenter’s rainy organ lick, co-songwriter Tim James’ bass smashes into the next verse cycle with a groove straight out of Britpop; how remarkable it is that these West Coast men often sound straight out of London. “Captured in Clips” marries a Southwestern minor chord progression with an early-Floydian fairytale crust, and “Owner Revisited” is the best Dark Side of the Moon b-side from an alternate universe. Radiohead’s influence surfaces on “Good Cheer,” an affable ditty bearing an In Rainbows groove. Most dominantly, though, Cue the Moon, whether intended or not, procures undeniable Radar Bros. trademarks in tracks like “Choose Your Weapon,” “Genevieve” and “Wear it With Pride” – acoustic foundations outfitted with paired vocal tracks, crawling tempos and with humble keyboards.
Take a few steps away and witness, though, the undeniable reality that Thought Forgotten Spoken’s arms are yanked in too many influential directions at once. The most tangible evidence of this is the avant-garde duo, “Carol in Reverse” and Turnstyle Eyebrows,” songs that abruptly arise two thirds into the album. It comes off as a rather obvious interruption to the album’s gratuitous pop structure. A cohesive sound may be an album or two away, but with the talent established on this tight, melody-filled collection it shouldn’t matter to most listeners. With this much songwriting potential already engraved into the competitive L.A. scene, Cue the Moon will have no problem maturing quickly into one hell of an act.
by Jory Spadea
