Viking Moses

The Parts That Showed is the second "official" full release from Viking Moses, though there have been a few other non-albums, 7"s, tapes and whatnot between the fist and this. Apparently, or at least according to the band, they've tapped Dolly Parton as a huge musical touchstone on this album - "A tale of a teenage part-time prostitute who spends her earnings on ice cream for neighborhood children, and of the man who obsesses over her from afar"? Oh and with for some reason, a cover of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" thrown in for good measure. Well I'm perhaps not as up on my Parton discography as I should be, but the influence escapes me. Nonetheless, this just like the first album, rides well on a mix of melody and sparse production. And even if I'm not sure how the cohesive product turns into such a sordid tale, the individual results are lovely. Brendon Massei's songs are buoyed by Paul Oldham's less is more production and recording. Shuffling drums and lazy guitars sway underneath Massei's voice, sounding alternately upbeat and crushing as the whims take him. Viking Moses were a bit unscrupulously lumped into the (free, freak, acid) folk revival of the last few years but they certainly seem to have more in common with Oldham (and more specifically his brother Will) than the crop of Devendra offshoots they became associated with. This album, finally out of the shadow of those associations, should establish them as a formidable force in songwriting.

Download:
[MP3] Viking Moses - Sole Command Of The Day
[MP3] Viking Moses - Jones Boys

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE