I bet these moody guys pack a punch live. “Versions” is an evolving piece that deserves your attention until the end. I have to admit, the first verse didn’t engage me, but I’ve listened to enough music out of Scotland to know we shouldn’t give up right away. Between verses, we get some momentum and some beefing up of the axemen. And, as in the second verse, the vocals reflect this. Treasure 1: There’s a new disdain laced with venom, spitting the words from the River Dee right over to the River Don.
Another buried treasure in “Versions” is what’s not there: there’s no chorus to speak of, and that’s as refreshing as taking a plunge into the North Sea in January. Makes some people feel a bit off or ungrounded, but it certainly cleanses the soul and makes you wonder what’s next. Well, treasure number 3 arrives; there’s nothing quite like spoken word over some grumpy, grumbling guitars. At this point, the faint of heart should start holding on tight, cuz the reverbed 80s throwback vocals are coming to get you right as soon as the voice-overs have had their say. Big surprise, that treasure number 4. Big highlight. Made my day.
But the Moody Moody boys aren’t done there as they hang their shoegazing heads and listen to their biggest guitars, which are crying, “What about us?”, and they bash their way in to take us to the end. If you’re in Aberdeen, check out Moody Moody, and I suspect you’ll want a pair of earplugs handy.
Written by Greg Gobel
