Chrome Moses
Tamaraine
Self Released June 23
Album art by Mike Zug
Chrome Moses’ new EP, is a four song spectacle called “Tamaraine.” The band is a unique outfit, describing themselves as “the hardest, fastest rock and roll that is by no means heavy metal.” Instead, the band opts for a “50s groove” and a “60s swagger.” Thus, the trio’s tunes are chock-full of vintage influence matched superbly with contemporary stylings.
“Horse Faced Lynn” makes a bold statement right out of the gate. The song is heavy hitting, well produced,
and well performed. For an indie outfit, their production is tight as can be and it shined on my studio grade monitors. As aforementioned, the music is fast paced, cascading from riff to riff with terrific tact. Despite
being a flurry of rock and roll, the suave sound manages to remain contained and consistent, an admirable quality. Lyrically, the song is a good rock romp. Musically, the intense bass and drum banter sets the stage for excellent guitar soloing and wandering.
“Can’t You Hear Me Coming?” embraces a similar “wham, bam, thank you, ma’am” mentality. It’s a softer, bluesy tune, but one that doesn’t overstay its welcome. None of these songs are pretentiously long, which I really dig. The band’s strong suit is hard hitting rock and roll in five minutes or less. I’d argue that ‘Can’t You Hear Me Coming?’ is one of, if not the best track on ‘Tamaraine.’ It’s straight off the cutting room floor of a White Stripes session.
“Butterfly” has an Americana aura to it, one that suits the band well. Chrome Moses manages to sonically hop around, all while wrangling their music under one umbrella. As a result, it makes their EP particularly intriguing and consistently interesting. Each song is a whole new event. That most certainly continues with the finale, “No Enemies.” The final tune seems to embrace the bluesy musings of ‘Can’t You Hear Me Coming?’ and rockabilly nature of ‘Horse Faced Lynn.’
Chrome Moses is an excitingly fun act. It’s good old fashioned rock and roll with a modern twist that revitalizes themes and ideas long forgotten. It’s also incredibly genuine and authentic music: what you hear is what you get. That’s commendable and refreshing amidst a music industry that’s anything but. Check out ‘Tamaraine’ now for
one of the better indie rock records of the summer.
You can catch Chrome Moses September 26 at Dormont VFW with special guest Chet Vincent and the Big Bend and listen to Tamaraine at http://chromemoses.com/music/tamaraine/.
Review by Brett Stewart
