This is Moonshine Booze's second album and in the old days if I had seen this album in a record shop I'd have looked at it just because of the artwork and that may have been reason enough to buy the record, once I'd seen the song titles, hoping this Italian band would live up to the great cover art.
Apparently this album has been brought to us on a river of Montepulciano wine which make the fact they claim it's a linear journey all the more surprising as I would have thought that would have ensured a far from linear stagger. This review is in tribute to the bottle of De Gaudio Montepulciano that sits on a shelf above my desk clothed in armor.
The album opens with The Hole a song for the shakes and trembles of being in that Hole with no easy way out feeling chained and desperate trying to find a way to close that Hole in there arms over almost Terrorvision style indie rock.
Too Many Questions opens like The Hives but with a less hyperactive singer and odd acoustic interludes as they get the inquisition about things they don't want to confess too. The song changes direction a few times like they are stuck in a quandary with no way out.
The Tide is a sort of Fettuccine Western bruised bar room blues that's a bit Nervous Cabaret mixed with The Silent Strangers.
What If struts across the room like they are trying to convince you they are stone cold sober after half a bottle of wine, it doesn't matter their lips are stained red they don't think you'll notice as it morphs from indie rocker into psyche rock with some phoned in advice to get themselves together.
Crazy Again is fairground carousel, probably should have been played on a barrel organ, song of bitter regret at the things that make them go Crazy Again especially when the flamenco guitar gets nudged out by the brass section this is very music hall.
Troubleman is exactly the sort of Western dance floor thing Alabama 3 did so well, it feels like an old friend.
The Spoiled Princess is a western slightly Psyche rock rant against the sort of woman that always gives them a hard time while they know they'll let her do anything even make them listen to Ligabuie records all night just to be with her.
Ponderosa is sort of a devil goes down to Pavia tale of escape with a very Spaghetti western feel to it. Seeing Me In Trouble is the kiss off, go on get out of my life, go you've caused too much trouble with all your drinking, pulsating indie blues rock with some great drunken guitars at the end.
Pandemonio is what happens when you can't find another bottle of Montepulciano and so switch to the Montepulciano Grappa instead everything slows down as a truly drunken stagger takes hold and the room is no longer vertical while someone has started hitting their head against a wall.
Right The Ship Jack is almost straying into Left Lane Cruiser territory as they try to find a way to stand up when there legs have stopped working, while telling everyone else they don't need any help and can manage it perfectly themselves, before falling over again.
Beyond The Moonlight is where they end up after passing out and coming too in a swirly mess with a problem, as all they can find for breakfast is some biscotti and a bottle of Vin Santo.
Keep On Turning is cool as can be western desert blues as they start to repeat the same old cycle again and those wheels Keep on Turning and the fiddle keeps on playing.
Little Love is laying awake at night waiting for your love to return probably a drunken wreck again but this song is far too jaunty and upbeat to be about disproving the bad behavior.
The album closes with Pulse that's all scratchy radio interference noises and glitches and weird percussion and sound effect noises to make you know it's time to go just as it has a cool funky break and more weirdness to finish with. I wouldn't be too disappointed if I'd bought this for the cover art alone as the music almost lives up to how great that cover art is.
Find out more at https://moonshinebooze.bandcamp.com/album/pandemonio-2 https://www.facebook.com/moonshinebooze/
