If music can be described as "infectious," then madcap instrumental group Moon Hooch are the Ebola virus of new sounds. Too soon?
Mixing house music with jazz instruments, the New York-based band replace synthetic sounds with saxophones, and, if anything, intensify the genre.
The stories involving the band playing impromptu gigs in New York underground stations cement their position as a rapidly growing movement; latest album Cave Music will fan the flames, but may lead to them playing in much larger venues.
From Cave Music, the simply titled "No. 6" is a spiky opener that goes to many places, but ultimately always returns to a mood of driving hysteria. Saxophonists Mike Wilbur and Wenzl McGowen show off the tonal range of the saxophone, leaping from pure melody to crunching background fuzz in quick succession.
The dissonance created at the beginning seems to show off the true state of Moon Hooch the most, with screeches coming from all angles. However, its progression to other, more accessible areas is highly commendable. Certainly the slow, echoed section in which the alto sax scales the heights is a welcome distraction from the dizzying action.
Before long however, the listener is thrown back in the deep end, and the waves are higher and more powerful now. The pure sound of the sax, with occasional assistance from production, recreates the rave sensation unerringly well.
Given their talent, it's unlikely that Moon Hooch will be plying too much more of their trade in underground stations -- unfortunate for the public, but a relief for the NYPD.
SIMILAR SONGS
