Moebius Cat: End Of Time

Intricacy, that's what Moebius Cat are all about, whether that be through their beautiful, captivating CD art-work, or their immaculately arranged and presented music. With multiple vocal parts, numerous instruments and a sound so clear crystal is hidden away in the corner, Moebius Cat weave beautiful layers of Progressive Rock into folky themes, and gently funky vibes, which all come together to highlight the involving lyrical themes. Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Moebius Cat are led by Roman Bershadsky, who composed the music and nearly all the lyrics on this album, as well as playing keyboards, bass, numerous percussive instruments and adding unobtrusive programming, although he is ably assisted by quite a number of other musicians and singers.

With a general theme of taking a journey towards self realisation, the overall atmosphere on End Of Time is an eerie one, with numerous sound effects giving the impression of windswept landscapes, lonely dark spaces and of hopeless causes. However there is always, deep down, a ray of light that glistens intently, drawing you ever deeper into the web of melancholy and despair, to ultimately uplift you through bright shards of hope that pierce the intentional musical gloom. However End of Time is not a joyless listen, far from it, rather it is an intense experience to immerse yourself in, somehow leaving you feeling transported to a bygone age of simpler times as you become more acquainted. Often a programmed beat chimes and clinks gently in the background as sparse piano, or violin makes you feel as though you are almost residing inside a forgotten, but once loved music-box. The vocals of Bershadsky, Jodi Krangle, Karl Mohr and Adriano Spina (although I'm not always sure as they sing who is who) offer up numerous strokes of emotion, from the lush controlled Kate Bush like tones of Krangle, to the off-kilter Bowie-esque male voice that adds a quirkiness to the undoubtedly serious music.

No one instrument truly sits front and centre for too long, with guitars, violin, keyboards, percussion and voices all subtly vying for attention, pulling your focus from song to song and from sound to sound. As a whole the album undoubtedly feels old, ancient in fact, but more in the way that it tells a story that feels almost dank, damp and dark, making you think of candle lit country homes and unlived in and unloved spaces. In reality the execution is slap bang up to date with the clarity of sound being almost unnerving when listened to intently through headphones. While the studious use of programmed beats and melodies that sit seamlessly alongside tabla, djembe, flute and acoustic guitar prove to be one of the strengths of the album.

Drawing from numerous, eclectic sources for inspiration, it is really hard to pinpoint comparisons for Moebius Cat (how refreshing is that?), although everything from Prog, Folk, Avant-garde, 80's Pop and Jazz shimmies past from time to time. However the end results are, given the right circumstances, absolutely captivating, with each listen revealing new levels of intricacies for you to engage in and imagery for you to interact with.

A little digging on the net actually discovers that End Of Time was independently released in 2010, with this excellent version being a reissue through the Russian label Mals, who have wisely chosen to retain the original, beautiful album artwork.

Track Listing
1. I've Been Losing
2. End Of Time
3. Better Days Than These
4. Time Enough For Love
5. Cold Rain
6. Farewell Guru
7. It's Over
8. River
9. Learning To Fly
10. Dance Goes On
11. Parallel Dimensions
12. Waltz With A Vampire

Added: February 25th 2012
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: MoebiusCat.com
Hits: 3309
Language: english

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