When reviewing a band with a name like Moo, it’s hard to know what to expect from them. For all I knew, their debut album ‘Wanted’ could have been a mix of grind-core, techno and trash. Luckily it wasn’t.
The album opens with a 2:17 version of Ready or Not, a Delfronics/Fugees cover. Opening with rung-out guitar chords, tambourine rattles and whistling, the album gets off to a great start. With the inclusion of violins and piano the track makes for a strong opener with a real western feel to it, giving you a taste of what’s in store for the rest of the album.
A cover of Johnny Cash’s infamous song Get Rhythm with rattling rim hits from the drums, thumping bass and a vocal style that suits Mr. Cash’s song perfectly, it’s safe to say that Moo’s cover does the song justice. 2000 Horses is the first original on the album. The song opens with the howling lyrics, “My first car was a beat up 89, with lime green interior but least it was all mine.” It tells the story of a beloved car that was used for racing around in. The songs chugs along with the bass, guitars and drums as the story of this car is told. There is a real rock-a-billy feel to the song and it easily manages to hold its own against the two previous tracks.
Next up is a cover of the Nancy Sinatra classic, These Boots. Like the previous tracks, the song trundles along with the bass, guitars and drums. Strong backing vocals are heard in the chorus with real clarity of the lead vocals being heard throughout. The drums ride on the cymbals throughout the song, making for a great cover version. La Citta E Pulecenella opens with a distant base line before being joined with guitar and drums with the guitar giving a real ska feel to the song. With the Italian lyrics (according to Google translate), the song takes a step back from previous tracks for a more laid-back feel.
Knarles Barkley are not immune from getting the Moo treatment with Crazy. The western feel becomes evident once again with the chugging bass and guitars accompanied with some snare drum playing. The more lower and darkened vocals, compared to that of Cee Lo Green, really suit Moo’s version. The guitar solo accompanied with the sparse drum roles on the snare is a real highlight.
Nancy Sinatra’s classic, Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) doesn’t quite hit the heights with crashing cymbals accompanying the lyrics “bang bang” with western backing vocal being introduced towards the end along with some whistling. In comparison to their version of These Boots, Bang Bang would be the weaker cover of Ms. Sinatra’s songs.
The pace picks up once again with a cover of Johnny Cash – I Got Stripes. Moo’s vocals suit this down to the ground and you can really see why the returned to Johnny again. Whether intentional or not, the “woo woo” backing vocals heard are very remisent of the ones found in The Stones’ Sympathy for the Devil.
Up next is a cover of The Zutons/Amy Winehouse song Valerie. The song takes a softer approach with the same formula being applied from previous songs – chugging bass and drums with ringing guitars and acoustic guitar chords. It is nothing out of the ordinary but makes for an enjoyable listen followed swiftly by The Ramones classic, Blitzkrieg Bop. This is the first cover that Moo truly make their own – from the offset it’s unclear whether or not it is a cover. I never would have thought I’d hear a cover of this song with violins taking a prominent roll but Moo manage to pull it off. Rather than a punk classic, their version sounds more like a song you’d expect to hear at some sort of barn hoedown with hay bales and line dancing.
The last song is a cover of Radiohead’s Lucky, slowing the pace down for the finale of the album. It is an unusual choice of song for the ending but haunting guitars and vocals feature prominently throughout the song, easing the listener to the end of the album.
Moo’s ‘Wanted’ made for a very enjoyable listen, catchy unusual beats throughout and I really feel if I saw them live I would be up dancing. The only downside to ‘Wanted’ was that some of the tracks were quiet similar and that out of the eleven songs, only two were originals. Songs like 2000 Horses and La Citta E Pulecenella prove that Moo can write some great tunes and hopefully their next record will include more. Until then I will be definitely looking out to try and catch these guys playing live somewhere.