Review: Moth Effect - Crocodilians

Moth Effect is “A one-man trip in a haunted spaceship” - mysterious eh? As far as I know he remains elusive and incognito. What's clear, however, is that he has concocted a heady brew with 'Crocodilians': taking psych, krautrock, space rock, drone, hauntology and some left field electronica and mashing them up to make an album of originality, invention and no small amount of joy.

Take 'She likes her sleep' for example, a track obviously heavily influenced by some of the great kosmische bands of yore but still manages to sound fresh. Whereas a lot of kraut bands took themselves way too seriously, Moth Effect seems to give an aural equivalent of a sly wink and a wry grin. Elsewhere, tracks such as 'Fingerbobs' evoke memories of childhood, and that's not just the title (for non-UK readers - 'Fingerbobs' was a classic kids TV prog in the seventies which comprised solely of a perpetually stoned-looking hippie talking to cardboard characters he wore on his fingers - brilliant stuff!) but the music itself. As much as I don't particularly like the term 'hauntology', it does convey the feeling of reliving past memories or retreading past paths, and the music does just that - memories of sitting in front of the TV as a kid, eating fishfingers and drinking Cresta. Elsewhere on the album we hear some chugging space rock ('Golden Tips', some spooky drone ('Ghosts Afraid Of The Dark')and Delia Derbyshire inspired science fiction soundtracks ('Roll It Back Up');there's enough fuzz, reverb and drone to keep the psych-heads happy, some nice sci-fi effects and guitars for the spacers and repetitive, mechanical rhythms for the kosmische fans. Add in some phase, some oscillators and some overdrive and you have something that can tempt even the most jaded musical palate.

What Moth effect has created with 'Crocodilians' is a melange of the old and the new, the classic and the contemporary, and come up with something that feels satisfyingly comfortable and yet starkly original. It's out in March on Sunstone Records and I hope there is going to be suitably colourful vinyl version. I recommend you buy it and enjoy it!