ARTIST: Moe.
TITLE: Sticks And Stones
LABEL: Fatboy
GENRE: Rock
BITRATE: 195kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 40m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-01-22
RIP DATE: 2008-01-22
Track List
----------
1. Cathedral 3:56
2. Sticks And Stones 3:37
3. Darkness 2:49
4. Conviction Song 5:04
5. 202 4:38
6. Deep This Time 4:15
7. All Roads Lead To Home 3:16
8. September 3:46
9. Queen Of Everything 6:13
10. Raise A Glass 2:58
Release Notes:
For better or for worse, moe. has always been a live band. Studio albums from
such groups have a tradition of being iffy affairs, as the musicians involved
suddenly find themselves without an audience, without applause, and without the
artistic license to improvise to their hearts' content. During the early 2000s,
moe. battled the confinements of the studio by combining live performances with
recorded tracks, creating a sort of compromise between the flexibility of a live
show and the crispness of a studio product. Albums like Wormwood and Conch
benefited from this approach, but 2008's Sticks and Stones is a different animal
entirely. Recorded in three short weeks inside a New England church, it focuses
exclusively on moe. as a studio outfit. The group's songwriting has matured
since the '90s (when the majority of their studio work was released), which
helps Sticks and Stones come across as a progressive step forward despite its
relaxed, somewhat subdued sound. There are no extended drum solos here, no
improvised guitar riffs, and only a handful of long, instrumental passages.
Instead, the quintet channels the radio-ready classic rock of the Grateful Dead
and the Eagles, complete with pleasing (if slightly imperfect) harmonies, tight
songcraft, and plenty of guitar muscle. Working with the studio rather than in
spite of it, the band pulls of a number of tricks that simply wouldn't work in a
live setting, from the acoustic fretwork of "September" (one of the most
haunting, striking ballads they've ever attempted) to the footstomps and fiddles
of the Celtic drinking song "Raise Your Glass." The tunes are short and concise,
with as much emphasis placed on the bandmates' vocals -- which, as evidenced
here, are some of the best in the jam band business -- as their instrumental
skills. So while Sticks and Stones is a change from the band's live catalog,
it's certainly a welcome one, and it's been years since moe. sounded this well
rounded.