Duff Review: Moon "The Moon EP"

Self-Released
2010
6-song CD

[Editor's note: To help tackle the rapidly growing pile of releases waiting to be reviewed at The Duff Guide to Ska HQ, we've enlisted our friend and ex-Moon Records colleague Adam Coozer of The Coozer Files, ReadJunk, READ Magazine, and the legendary and long-gone Long Island-based skazine Two Left Feet, to write up some of the ska and reggae CDs and digital files sent our way. Between work and family, it's oftentimes hard to find the time to sit down and give all of these albums a proper review, so I really appreciate Adam's help! Apologies to all bands who have been caught up in the backlog! From now on, I'll be attaching a byline to all reviews--but please assume that any review that doesn't have a name associated with it was written by me (and really, Adam and I have such different writing styles that it should be pretty evident who wrote what).]

(Reviewed by Adam Coozer)

I don’t have a press kit, so I don’t know if these Seattle-based youngsters named themselves after the seminal 80s and 90s label. From the lunar imagery on their album, I have a sinking feeling they just like the heavenly body and have never heard of our favorite third-wave record factory. Though I guess it would be audacious if intentional.

So, the good: Although youthful, Moon the band is happily entrenched in the 2 Tone sound. No scratchy punk-with-horns or dull high school jazz recital here--just the bouncy, dorky fun of Madness. (They even close the album with a note-for-note cover of “One Step Beyond.”) The drums and guitars steadily hold the 2 Tone-y upbeat and the bass playing is appropriately acrobatic.

The bad: The vocals are horrendously flat and off-key. They’re bearable when the vocal lines call for a low register, like on “What I Know” or are supported by catchy gang vocals like on “Runaway.” But on a ballad like “Karma,” where the vocals stay in a high range, every cracked note is a personal affront to music. I haven’t heard a voice crack so much since Phyllis Dillon’s version of “Close to You.”

Another issue is that the horn section seems awfully squeaky. Not that they’re flubbing notes, but the horns’ sound quality is almost kazoo-like. This might just be a result of the demo-y production, but some would argue that ska is doofy enough without toy instruments. Personally, I would not argue that. I love me some kazoos!

But these issues can make for a painful listen, especially with durations averaging 4 ½ minutes. On a side note, there is no reason for bouncy, 2 Tone-y songs to be this long. I don’t think The Specials ever had a song over 4 minutes, except for maybe "Free Nelson Mandela" and the extended remix of "Ghost Town." (But then again, those were their biggest hits, so what do I know?)

Point is, if Moon wants to be worthy of the name, they need to trim their tunes and consider instrumentals. I applaud their youth exuberance and appreciation for Madness, but this is a checkered album in both the ska and non-ska sense of the word.

Duff Guide to Ska Grade: C+

Ska ZombieWatch: SID 4.2

While Adam Coozer keeps a vigilant eye out for any general news concerning the rise of zombies, The Duff Guide to Ska is (obviously) interested in the ska angle of the undead--hence our coverage of the second leg of the 2009 Ska is Dead (SID) Tour, with headliners The Toasters, Mustard Plug, Voodoo Glow Skulls, and Deal's Gone Bad.

Barring a sudden announcement by The Specials or Madness that they are hitting the States for some gigs, SID is shaping up to be the major ska tour this fall for parts of the Midwest and the entire East Coast. Sadly, it seems like NYC is getting the short end of this stick this time 'round--the closest SID comes to us is Sayreville, NJ. For the city that helped give birth to the US ska scene--where's the love, baby?

Also, I can't decide which band name is better: Dead Like Lincoln or Fatter Than Albert?

Ska is Dead 4 Tour (Part 2)

Wed | 11.4.09 | Grand Rapids, MI | Intersection
with Mustard Plug, The Toasters, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, Selectively Antisocial
all ages | bar w/id | 5:30pm doors | $10adv/$12dos
(Tickets also available at Vertigo, Shakedown Street, Purple East without surcharge)

Thur | 11.5.09 | Cleveland, OH | Peabody's
with Mustard Plug, The Toasters, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, Green Room Rockers
2nd stage: The Mulligans, Sellin You Short, Cypher, The Get-Ups
all ages | bar w/id | 6pm doors | $12adv/$14dos

Fri | 11.6.09 | Detroit, MI | Magic Stick
with Mustard Plug, The Toasters, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, Green Room Rockers, Matt Wixon
all ages | bar w/id | 6:30pm doors | $15

Sat | 11.7.09 | Chicago, IL | Metro
with Mustard Plug, The Toasters, Deal's Gone Bad, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Green Room Rockers
all ages | bar w/id | 5pm doors | $15

Sun | 11.8.09 | St. Louis, MO | Off Broadway
with The Toasters, Mustard Plug, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, BAMF
all ages | bar w/id | 6pm doors | $15adv/$17dos (+$3 at door if under 21)

Mon | 11.9.09 | Covington, KY | Mad Hatter
with The Toasters, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, The Pinstripes, Loudmouth
all ages | bar w/id | 7:30pm doors | $15

Tue | 11.10.09 | Pittsburgh, PA | Mr. Smalls
with The Toasters, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, tba
all ages | bar w/id | 6pm doors | $12

Wed | 11.11.09 | Baltimore, MD | Ottobar
with The Toasters, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad
all ages | bar w/id | 7pm doors | $13adv/$15dos

Thur | 11.12.09 | Buffalo, NY | Mohawk Place
with The Toasters, Mustard Plug, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, Do It With Malice
16+ | bar w/id | 6pm doors | $16adv/$18dos

Fri | 11.13.09 | Philadelphia, PA | The 941 Theater
with The Toasters, Mustard Plug, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, tba
all ages | 7pm doors | $15adv/$17dos
TICKETS - info tba

Sat | 11.14.09 | Foxboro, MA | Showcase Live
SKANKSGIVING II
with Mustard Plug, The Toasters, Pilfers, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, Hub City Stompers, Brunt of It, Boston Jolly Pirates
all ages | bar w/id | 5pm doors | $15adv/$17dos

Sun | 11.15.09 | Sayreville, NJ | Starland Ballroom
SKANKSGIVING II
with The Toasters, Mustard Plug, Pilfers, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, Hub City Stompers, The Speakeasies, Avon Junkies, Explosive Sheep
all ages | bar w/id | 2:30pm doors | $18adv/$20dos

Mon | 11.16.09 | Norfolk, VA | The Norva
with The Toasters, Mustard Plug, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, Rude Zombie
all ages | bar w/id | 6pm doors | $15

Tue | 11.17.09 | Columbia, SC | New Brookland Tavern
with Mustard Plug, The Toasters, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, Maladroit
all ages | bar w/id | 6:30pm doors | $12adv/$15dos

Wed | 11.18.09 | Orlando, FL | The Social
with The Toasters, Mustard Plug, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, tba
all ages | bar w/id | 6:30pm doors | $15

Thur | 11.19.09 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Culture Room
with The Toasters, Mustard Plug, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, tba
all ages | bar w/id | 7:30pm doors | $14.99adv/$15dos

Fri | 11.20.09 | Ybor City, FL | Crowbar
with Mustard Plug, The Toasters, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad
all ages | bar w/id | 8pm doors | $15

Sat | 11.21.09 | Atlanta, GA | Masquerade
2 STAGES!
with The Toasters, Mustard Plug, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Deal's Gone Bad, The Independents, Taj Motel Trio, Fatter Than Albert, Dead Like Lincoln, 50:50 Shot
all ages | bar w/id | 6:30pm doors | $15

PopMatters: The Ska Will Go On

Back in May, I was interviewed by Jennifer Davis (freelance journalist and singer for the Megalith Records act St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review), along with a bunch of other scenesters, for an article titled The Ska Will Go On that was recently published on the PopMatters website. As with any overview of ska history--particularly the era that I was involved with--one may find some things to quibble over (too much coverage here, not enough props there, something else completely omitted, etc.), but it's an interesting read, and The Duff Guide to Ska gets a mention!

And for the record, despite how I was quoted, I firmly believe that the vast majority of albums that Moon Records released were good to excellent...

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For some more background on Moon Records--its rise and fall--as well as my attempt to launch and sustain a digital download ska/reggae label called 7 Wonders of the World Music back in 1999/2000, check out this lengthy interview I did with Adam Coozer for Read Magazine at the dawn of this decade.