The Moth & The Mirror - Honestly, This World (Album Review)
Monday, 17 October 2011
Written by Rhys Morgan
The Moth & The Mirror have been branded as yet another supergroup. So you may be wondering why you’ve never heard of them. Supergroups usually get plenty of press and being that the members are usually from already successful bands, they usually have a ready made fan base. Things aren’t quite the same for this five-piece from Scotland. There may be members of Frightened Rabbit and The Reindeer Section playing here but they’re in danger of becoming victims of their own niche-ness. And that would be a crying shame because this album is a thing of beauty.
The sound ranges from hipster folk to a far more powerful, emotional and intelligent rock. The instrumentation of 'Everyone I Know' is stunning. Acoustic guitar, bass and drums are all rudimentary but its the slow building, grinding electric guitar which will steal your ears.
Listening to a truly talented female vocalist fronting a rock band is always a pleasure and Stacey Sievwright (The Reindeer Section) sure has talent. Her vocal style is best described as a cross between Dolores O’Riodren and Joanna Newsom, if you can possibly imagine that.
'Boxes' is a brilliant example of, not only Sievwright, but the band as a whole going from a standstill to creating an incredibly dense barrage of noise. The opening minutes would fool you into thinking this is some homage to acoustic princesses like Laura Marling but then things take a turn for the louder. And a post-rock, Mogwai-esque tour de force rid all conceptions of this band being on the wimpy side.
The album’s title track is another great example of a slow builder and shows how well The Moth & The Mirror utilise their three guitars. The jerky lead being fed by the swirling rhythm guitars creates a deeply textured soundscape for Sievwrights vocals to transcend to a point of anger filled beauty, very much reminiscent of The Cranberries.
With 'Oceans & Waves' the best has been kept until last. For three minutes it ebbs and flows somewhat aimlessly with the vocals doing the job of gripping your attention until the mother of all post-rock crescendos hits. It’s like a motorway pile-up. Everything speeds headlong into an explosive collision of noise.
With 'Honestly, This World', The Moth & The Mirror have created something full of controlled power and raw emotion. The label of ‘supergroup’ is something many bands can’t live with. Most can’t seem to shake the tag and fail to deliver anything worthwhile (keep your ears peeled for the Metallica and Lou Reed project). But the good thing about The Moth & The Mirror is that they have delivered and album that is far beyond the sum of its parts.
'Honestly, This World' is released on limited edition CD and download on November 7th.
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With 'Oceans & Waves' the best has been kept until last. For three minutes it ebbs and flows somewhat aimlessly with the vocals doing the job of gripping your attention until the mother of all post-rock crescendos hits. It’s like a motorway pile-up. Everything speeds headlong into an explosive collision of noise.
