It doesn’t happen very often, but every now and then I fall head over heels in love with a record on first spin.
That’s what happened last week when I listened to The Moodoggies fifth full-length record “A Love Sleeps Deep.”
You see, I thought I knew what I was getting with this album. I spent a lot of time in various clubs and bars watching The Moondoggies when I was hitting the blogging hard and heavy back in the day. I had seen the band live at least a dozen times and every time their shows were enjoyable, but they were never really fully my thing. So expectations were set before I clicked play.
When I got press releases from the fine folks at Hardly Art about the Moondoggies’ first album in five years, I was curious but didn’t plan on writing about it. Obviously, my curiosity became a full-on musical crush, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this right now.
You can get my full initial reaction to the record, as expressed via Twitter, by clicking on the thread below. I attempt to be more articulate in my love for this album after the tweet.
Next up on my run through of new releases is @TheMoondoggies “A Love Sleeps Deep,” out today on @hardlyart. I’ve held off on listening to the singles b/c I want to experience this fresh as a full album experience. I’m very excited to hear what 2018 Moondoggies sounds like. pic.twitter.com/uIlhZPaLyi
— Travis Hay (@guerrillacandy) April 13, 2018
Past Moondoggies records are filled with their brand of campfire rock with a side swamp-boogie goodness for good measure. “A Love Sleeps Deep” mostly strays from that formula. It trades in the group’s familiar folksy, down-home feels for songs that are rooted in classic rock with slightly progressive undertones. .
What you hear on “A Love Sleeps Deep” is the sound of a group of stalwart Seattle musicians working together through an organic evolution of their sound. And the results are pure musical bliss
Likely thanks to the work of producer Erik Blood, the songs on “A Love Sleeps Below” allow the guitars to breathe instead of completely take over. Caleb Quick’s organ has been the group’s sneaky secret weapon that distinguishes it from its peers in Blitzen Trapper, The Head and the Heart and others. Here it shines on every track, especially on “My Mother” and “Cinders.”
Additionally, Jon Pontrello’s pedal steel guitar adds a lot of depth and warmth to every song it graces and the rhythm section of drummer Carl Dahlen and bassist Robert Terreberry perfectly anchor each track. And singer and guitarist Kevin Murphy’s solos are more concise and balanced than on previous albums. He unleashes an especially fierce and fiery solo on “Soviet Barn Fire,” which is sure to become a live set staple, is a highlight that has hints of Crazy Horse and would make Uncle Neil proud.
Murphy’s songs don’t make grand political statements but they are coming from a place of personal experience with casual racism, biases and his life as a father. He addresses these topics throughout the album and the new lyrical perspective shows plenty of songwriting growth from the days of “Black Shoes” and “Ol’ Blackbird” off their debut album.
By the time you finish the near 15-minutes of music on album closers “Promises” and “Underground (A Love Sleeps Deep)” you’ll be pressing play to hear it all over again. The former slows things down and features a soothing baritone sax, while the latter continues the gentle vibe, eventually building to a bassline breakdown that swells into a guitar and organ groove that ends the album on the perfect note.
Bottom line: Don’t sleep on “A Love Sleeps Deep.”
