Moist's efforts are pretty well unheard of outside of Canada. Though this album has since sold 400,000 co copies, their most acclaimed release, Creature, has yet to go platinum. I don't think I've ever seen their third album, which is the 1999/2000 (depending on where you live) Mercedes 5 and Dime. Overall a pretty average band, though, Moist have made some pretty good hits such as Resurection, Push, Leave It Alone as well as heavy rotation on the Canadian music channel MuchMusic. Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, Moist have since broken up and frontman David Usher has released three solo albums, Morning Orbit (2001), Hallucinations (2003) and If God Had Curves (2005). Moist show no sign of resurecting the group, and so-far the only other member to do anything different is guitarist Mark Makoway, who put a hand into making the Indie Band Bible.
Moist:
David Usher: Vocals
Mark Makoway: Guitars
Jeff Pearce: Bass
Kevin Young: Keyboards
Paul Wilcox: Drums
The Album:
This album's singles are one of the best part about it, with the exception of Push. Push was their first single, but the song fails to represent the album in a good way. A repetetive guitar riff and Usher's whispering vocals inhabit the verses, while heavier guitars playing the same riff and Usher telling you to "Push just a little to live". A decent chorus saves this song, which is overall average. The next single is Silver, a piano-laced song with nicely orchestrated guitar, and chords similar to the immortal song "I Will Survive". Usher makes a good performance, especially when he screams "In Time!". Definitley a good choice for the single. Believe Me is the third and final single, sporting a good bass riff and the tapping of symbol, until the verse kicks in with nice guitar riffs and calm vocals, with the shouting of "Cause all I can do, things you never say-hey-hey!". The chorus features distorted backing vocals, the next chorus features an enchanting organ. The best single. Another good song is Kill For You, starting like a rock n' roll song, it moves into a haeavy guitar riff and faint drums and bass, with Usher doing meddiocre vocals overr silence in the chorus. The verse is the strong point of this song, pronouncing Moist's sound better than any other part of the song.
Into Everything starts with a grand piano playing sad chords, followed by a mimicking guitar and Usher doing his low-style vocals, followed by a chorus that promises, with heavy guitars playing some nice chords, with some interesting changes. Eventually after Usher singing "Into Everything, Into Everything, Into Everything", we go back into the verse, and gradually a reformed chorus with different vocals, shocasing Usher's best performance on the album. The creepy sounding Machine Punch Through features a climbing bass line, with Usher sounding as innocent as he can while singing some angry vocals, leading into a good fast paced chorus with an almost U2 esque guitar riff, and eventually the chanting of "Machine Puch Through" over a dark piano riff. Add solo, and repeat. Freaky Be Beautiful is a decent song, but almost stereotype rock, which isn't really the downfall of this song, but rather the vocals sounding too pained and depressing, until a decent chorus with two different chords enter, and make it listenable.
The jazzy This Shrieking Love is a fun track to listen to, because it kind of sounds like a late-era Hendrix song, complete with soloing guitars, and a classy piano riff. Fast paced vocals and a Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins inspired breakdown keep this song as interesting as it is. Eventually the next chorus kicks in and offers screaming and a nice li'l solo to boot. Low Low Low is often regarded as the best song on the album, and I have to agree. A soft, gentle piece with octavating bass and gloom piano are joined by Usher's moody vocals and a lack of guitar on this song makes it all the more enjoyable, especially in the chorus where the music is calm, but a held back Usher starts to scream. This is a nice way to end the album, but unforntunatley quick, at just 3:14.
Overall, this album has it's highs and it's lows. The main problems are in Usher's nasally and croaky voice, which often drag the piece down. But at times, Usher's voice is often the best part of the song, like on Low Low Low. I'd recommend this to people who enjoy mellow and savory rock that you could chew on for a while.
Overall rating:
73%, B, 3.5/5
Thanks for reading.
