Moin - Clocked Off
Hot off the explosive reception of their 2022 album, Paste received, with outlets such as Bleep putting it with other esteemed artists such as Whatever the Weather, Brainwaltzera and Nik Col Void in their round-up of the year's best albums. Paste, an alternative rock epic released on AD 93 records in late 2022, blended rock influences with ambient and musique concrete elements and summed up the feelings of isolation while putting your romantic spin on it. Moin is back in 2023 with Clocked Off, a grungy, outsider rock EP a borrows influence from grime, garage rock and psychedelic. Again, the group stays true to form by embodying modern angst and pushing a scatter-brained aesthetic that uses popular culture to express story and emotion. Forgoing usual genre conventions to explore more experimental sides of music, the group uses samples to communicate in lieu of a lead singer.
Beginning with 'Pockets', Moin crashes in with a rhythmic foray that bleeds excitement. Ecstatic bongo's loop while a walking bassline descends downwards. A contrast immediately appears with a horrific scream changing the context from fun time exoticism before planting a hefty punk boot. It's been a while since I audibly said "Ooo" when listening to a track. Accents of old-school grime strings and percussion appear with a sprinkling of some tasteful, intentional clipping, and you have one of the most enthralling openings to release in recent memory. That energy is transferred into the next cut as the band moves swiftly into 'No Neck'. We receive a much more electric, post-grunge and garage rock in this outing, complete with distorted strumming and frenzied drums. Whistles and a course, overdriven bass set about creating the track's central motif. Moin uses these elements to craft a somewhat disjointed melodic structure which breeds terror and dread as they hit unsettling chord progressions.
The penultimate track ventures further into experimental territories, Moin conscript Fritz Welch into the fray in 'I Can I Can't'. Off-kilter drums complement the lethargic guitar chords. "Drink and drink, live drunken life" becomes the track's mantra as more sparse and fragmented guitar parts emerge, giving this cut a sluggish and intoxicated feel. An extensive list of US prisons, including "United States penitentiary, Folsom state prison, San Quentin state prison, Sing Sing", is read, giving 'I Can I Can't' a genuinely harrowing vibe towards the end of the record. You would be remiss not to think about it, especially as it leads into the finale. A solemn drumbeat flanked by found sounds transforms the piece into a post-rock undertaking as melancholy as it is beautiful. Subtle strums litter the cut, allowing space for a shy guitar melody to take centre stage. 'I Will Have Enough Grapes' is the longest track on Clocked Off, and it uses this to engross as it attempts to suck listeners into the world Moin is creating.
Tracklist:
Pockets
No Neck
I Can I Can’t (feat. Fritz Welch)
I Will Have Enough Grapes
Label: AD 93
Moin - Clocked Off
