Review: Moose Blood - I'll Keep You in Mind, from Time to Time
By Chris Reinbold, Contributor
[No Sleep; 2014]
Rating: 9/10
Key Tracks: “Cherry,” “Swim Down,” “Bukowski”
It’s easy to lump just about every emotionally driven, guitar rock band into the “emo revival” category. This has led to an oversaturation within the emo genre; too many of the fantastic bands have been caught up in the mix of less-than-spectacular artists. However, British band Moose Blood has easily climbed to the peak of recent emo bands with its debut full-length, I’ll Keep You in Mind, from Time to Time.
The record opens with “Cherry,” a somber little number oddly similar to emo gods Brand New’s opening track from acclaimed album Deja Entendu. The track is minimalist with a swirling guitar starting it off, fading from left to right in the mix. Eddy Brewerton’s melancholic voice coupled with his guitar starts the album on a somber, serious, gut-wrenching tone.
The album instantly picks up energy in the next tune, “Anyway,” and doesn’t look back. Throughout the album’s first half, Moose Blood truly establishes itself as a separate entity from cookie-cutter emo revival bands, with more influence from the early 2000s Long Island scene than the mid-90s Midwest scene, which seems to permeate a majority of the modern emo sound.
“Swim Down” immediately makes an impact. Brewerton sings out, “She said / I guess you let me down again / I don’t want to be just friends,” in what could be thought of as typical pop-punk melodrama, except he does it with conviction. He writes about being gone for a long time and missing someone, quite possibly inspired by his experiences on the road. After having similar experiences--be it college, touring, or whatever the case may be--the words hit even harder, right to the bone.
As with most of the album, the driving rhythmic foundation of the song is at its instrumental forefront, with chiming guitar leads sitting snuggly above. The words spout from Brewerton’s twisted lips, “I’ve been thinking about you, girl / Sweetheart, I owe you the world,” right before the end of the song. He wants her, whoever she is, to know she’s on his mind.
“Bukowski” begins with a massive major-key intro that dives headfirst into the song. Like a majority of the album, the backdrop for Brewerton’s words of heartbreak, love and longing is a fantastically tight, high-energy, driving rhythm section with winding, shimmering sing-along guitar lines. Brewerton sings of sharing your passions with someone and his obvious influences, Jimmy Eat World, Morrissey and Death Cab for Cutie.
The album bounces through another track before landing at the finale, “I Hope You’re Miserable,” a tale of utter heartbreak that builds to high energy and brings it all back by the end of the song. Moose Blood ends the album like a good rollercoaster ride.
Although this is just its debut, Moose Blood has expertly honed its songwriting through previous EPs. The drums on the album are massive and pummeling in a way that brings musical genius Dave Grohl to mind. Producer Beau Burchell did a fantastic job with spotless and pristine production, only reinforcing Moose Blood’s masterful song crafting. I’ll Keep You In Mind, from Time to Time manages to meld modern sound and production with the east coast’s early style of emo rock, creating a form of the genre unrecognized since the hey-day of Jimmy Eat World, Brand New and Taking Back Sunday.
