MOLO: Earthsongs

Lately I have been listening to a lot of Apollon Records releases. The label is mostly associated with progressive minded music but this latest listen is quite far removed from prog. The band is MOLO and hail from Bergen, Norway. Earthsongs is their debut album.

Since my musical palette encompasses a wide range of music the ‘not prog’ tag for me is not a problem as long as the songs are strong. Happily, this is the case with Earthsongs. The tracks are short and this is very much a ‘song’ oriented album. The focus is on the melodies and thoughtful lyrics and not so much on impressive musicianship although this band is certainly talented. It’s just that the players serve the song and melody with heartfelt singing and playing and not so much on dazzling instrumental displays. The acoustic and electric guitars are very well played and added instruments like harmonica, accordion, fiddle, saxophone and trombone give these tracks an Americana feel, maybe a bit of southern rock and folk as well. Some of the band’s influences include the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Beatles.

I am really enjoying this album. The stripped down approach gives the music an earthy feel, very real and completely honest (if that makes any sense)? If you are a fan of any of the bands mentioned above I urge you to check this out. Recommended.

MOLO is:
Elling Ulvestad (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica)
Tom Erik Brudvik (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals)
Bjørn Blomberg (saxophones)
Erlend Gjøen (bass, vocals)
Bjørn Kåre Berentsen (drums)

Guest musicians:
Inge Glambek (banjo, mandolin)
Lars Ove Toft (congas, percussion)
Alf Bugge Gjerstad (fiddle)
Gunnar Bjelland (keyboards)
Marianne H Bruvik Stene (vocals, accordion, piano)
Evy Sørensen (vocals, mandolin)
Kristin Nijs (vocals)
Bård Øyvind Hugaas (trombone)
Iver Sandøy (percussion)

Track Listing:
1. Rouletting Wheels
2. Ramble With The Wind
3. Three River Bridge
4. Bid Farewell
5. Stargazing
6. Crossroads Of Confusion
7. The Ferryman
8. Major Chord
9. The Ratchet
10. Tolerate The Twain
11. I Don’t Want To Lose Myself
12. When Innocence Died
Bonus Tracks
13. Incarnate Castle
14. Down The Rougher Roads

Added: August 20th 2019
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Facebook
Hits: 1496
Language: english

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