Moga
One to Watch in 2011
Someone You Should Know
by Julie Stoller
Providence, RI band
appears tonight
Cambridge, MA
RED HOT, RIGHT NOW - Moga are purveyors of a dizzying array of musical influences and styles which they delightfully combine into a satisfying and fun gumbo. There's a hillbilly vibe of acoustic guitar and banjo picking, with subversive synth sounds mixed in. A little calypso, a bit of blues, a touch of gospel. A New Orleans style funeral march. Honky-tonk piano. Grateful Dead jams. Doo-wop harmonies. And trombone. Vocals that sometimes conjure The Beatles or The Band; othertimes Brian Eno. Sounds crazy, but it works.
[Editor's Note: it's hard not to hear a little Delta Spirit or maybe The Walkmen in today's song of the day, "The One That Got Away," it immediately won me over!]
Moga released their debut album, the aptly titled Jamboree, last year. It's a remarkable achievement on a first release, to bring together so many styles and influences, and have it glide along so naturally as it does, sounding just right. I very much look forward to seeing these guys live and partaking of what Rhode Island clubgoers have been enjoying for some time now.
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