Moaning

Album review

The debut full-length by Los Angeles trio Moaning is an alarmingly focused set of tense, bitter post-punk tunes born from years of busted relationships and emotional distress. The group juggle between caustic, angular blasts and more aired-out shoegaze numbers, but each and every one of their songs are direct and to the point, never wasting a moment or a word. The lyrics, delivered by frontman Sean Solomon, probe deep questions and sling sharp arrows, constantly trying to get to the bottom of relationship problems, but coming up with nothing but indignation. Despite the heavy wall of noise behind him, his words are never drowned out, and they sound clear as day. He barely even raises his voice, let alone screams. He appears tired and worn down, but still persists, even as he's throwing his hands up and saying "There's no point to any of this," as on "Useless." It's obvious that he wants things to work out, and there's a genuine passion and concern to his pleas, with his sense of uncertainty and frustration fueling the urgency of his sentiments. Musically, the trio are remarkably on point. All of the songs are precise, concentrated bursts of power, yet they're equally efficient at lush, dreamy moments (most notably "Tired") as well as hard-hitters. They also slip in some complex, prog-like chops on tracks like "For Now" and "Misheard," without going overboard or losing focus. The album also boasts an absolutely killer opening track, with the instantly memorable "Don't Go." Moaning is an undeniably powerful debut which sounds astonishingly mature and accomplished for a first effort.

© Paul Simpson /TiVo