Music Go Music – Expressions, Album Review

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Music Go Music
Expressions

Secretly Canadian
out October 6th

82/100
[Rating Scale]

[rating:82/100]

There will be bands that come onto the scene and take years to be recognized because of their quiet sound or because they just don’t make an impact on you and inevitably they slip off into the distance because they have become utterly forgettable.

Music Go Music is not that band. The very moment their sound travels to your ears, the words “Who is this?” is already coming out of your mouth. They’re an LA-based band who has been on the scene for just a little over a year now, however they’ve released a 12″ every couple of months in that time frame, steadily reminding and impressing us with their pop/disco extravagance. People who have been lucky enough to hear their music already love them. The term “ABBA revival” has been thrown at them, but do not dismiss this unique and artful band due to who they are compared to. This band is mysterious and their songs demand to be heard.

So who is Music Go Music? This is a question the band isn’t looking to answer quite yet, which naturally, has many bloggers speculating about their identities. One thing is for certain no matter who they are; their music is theatrical and the cast (Gala Bell, Kamer Maza, and TORG) are bringing you a spectacular show.

Their album, Expressions is like open heart surgery; the cutting sound of their music expanding and contracting within you, providing a perfect flow of disco, funk, fantasy and melodramatic pop. Although this album is sure to receive endless comparisons to ABBA, ELO, Elton John, Blondie, or any of the 70s-80s disco bands that influence them, Music Go Music does a great job of taking that time period and making it their own.

The album’s opening track “I Walk Alone” charges in with a 33 second long battle cry that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, in which Gala takes you by the throat, slamming you on your ass and commanding you to listen to her tales of the heart. So powerful are her lyrics that you find yourself paying close attention to her every word because you know you’re in for something good. Every song is an epic story that Music Go Music drive home with, breakneck keyboards and massive drums in tow.

Personally, I give my respect to Music Go Music because I found each of their songs to be solid without lulls or weak points. They intrigued me within the first 10 seconds of each song and I finished each track feeling like I experienced something larger than what came before it. On songs like “Thousand Crazy Nights” (my personal favorite track on the album) and “Reach Out,” each of our cast-members have a shining moment, tossing around the spotlight until they meet up once again to close with a thunderous climax.

“Warm in the Shadows” has been on the blog circuit for quite a while and has been declared as their most favorable track amongst their fans. It’s sound is reminiscent of Blondie’s “Rapture,” only accelerated. This is the peak of the album where Gala’s haunting voice reverberates in your ears and wraps itself around your lonely heart, leaving you aching to go back to paradise with her, even if it’s only for 10 minutes. For a while you’re in a trance within the song until the 5:30 mark where a dirty distorted guitar solo invades to take you right back into the moment. Where most bands are known to stick to a certain melody and ride on that for quite a bit, Music Go Music always manages to captivate your ears with a change up in their sound that takes the song to an even higher level.

Right before the curtain is drawn on the album, the band close things out with the aptly named “Goodbye Everybody”. With it, Music Go Music strip down to give us a gentle, lonely, self-conscious conclusion. Expressions is definitely an elaborate album that is an explosive, unforgettable, vintage, emotional love affair. Once Expressions does end, the silence resonates and leaves you feeling haunted by what you just experienced.

Music Go Music may get it’s comparisons, but they will be recognized within the same league as the legends before them. With their blast from the past sound, I definitely look forward to hearing what’s coming from them in the future.

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Stream the entire album here, thanks to Lala. All you need is an account. If you don’t have one, make sure to set one up. It absolutely free and only takes a second.

by Karina Moreno on October 17, 2009 ‡ 0 reactions