Here’s what Oxford’s indefatigable music magazine, Nightshift, had to say about the forthcoming Moogieman EP.
Anti Christmas songs are now so prevalent that they’re in danger of becoming as clichéd as the tinsel and bauble-spangled hits they’re intended to counter. Still, Moogieman’s hopefully not one to follow the pack, surely.
This four song offering lyrically does err towards some of those well-worn tropes, notably `Why Am I Always Alone’, which finds our lopsided electro-pop little match girl left on their tod for the festive period: “The food is all dry / I just want to sit and cry” he moans before the chorus find him emoting “Lonely and silent is the night.” All this over a soundtrack that might be
DAF’s electro-grind invading Toytown.Talking of which there’s love – and loss – on Santa’s production line on `Red Xmas’, while `The Evangelist’ sounds like an acid-frazzled busker attempting to recreate The Human League’s `Dare’ on an acoustic guitar and a kids’ keyboard, while berating John the Baptist. Best of the lot if closer `Mr Stylites’, which shifts forward to the post-Christmas come-down (rhyming January
with austerity into the bargain), bolstered by some heavenly backing vocals and sounds like a punked-up Divine Comedy doing his Christmas after-dinner turn for the in-laws.The EP does sound a bit rushed – though that’s part of Moogieman’s modus operandi – and while there’s enough clever lyrical thought gone into it, it doesn’t stray as far from an increasingly well worn path as we’d hope given his recent musical form and very obvious lyrical talents.
Dale Kattack
Tags: Christmas, Nightshift, review, Xmas