Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Wilding, Half A Cow Records 2015.
Molecules To Moons is the second album released by Liverpool born, but now Melbourne based, singer/songwriter Wilding and it’s an interesting collection of quirky and dreamy pop songs that build on, and extend, the strong beginnings exhibited in his debut release.
The album was the follow up to Birds Bread (2012) which I reviewed last week and the first thing I noticed from the short introductory track, Here We Are, was the substantial difference in production values and sound from the previous album.
The opening track of Molecules To Moons presents a bolder statement of an artist more willing to experiment and broaden his horizons.
This more adventurous sound carries through and remerges in tracks like Lost The Moon and Stuck In The Middle.
It’s also noticeable in the extensive use of brass which transforms a conventional pop song like I Walked Her home into a track that evokes an atmosphere more redolent of the Arizona desert rather than the streets of Melbourne.
The playfulness: the psychedelia, the joyful wordplay of the odd-ball lyrics, dreaminess and other-worldliness present in Birds Bread, which are trademarks of Wilding’s style, are still there but Molecules To Moons is a definite progression leading to the completeness of his latest release, The Death Of Foley’s Mall.
One of Wilding’s great strengths is his ability to craft catchy pop songs and there are many examples on this album.
The singles, I’m Missing Her and Monkey House are laden with musical and lyrical hooks built over infectious rhythms but the slower tracks like Stuck In The Middle and Carry Me Over also drag the listener in via choruses that stick and wont’ let go.
In particular Carry Me Over with the repetitive “Carry me Over, I’m Broken… Carry Me Away” has cemented itself in my psyche and is sure to become part of my lexicon.
It’s interesting to experience an artist’s journey toward a polished and impressive album.
There’s no doubt in my mind that The Death Of Foley’s Mall is one of the best albums that I’ve listened to this year and my appreciation for it has only been heightened by listening to Molecules To Moons and the earlier Birds Bread that preceded it.
