Mozes and the Firstborn – Self Titled Debut

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mozescdDespite what may be assumed, Mozes and the Firstborn are not a 90’s band from Seattle. The young group of friends hail from Eindhoven, Netherlands, and consist of singer, Melle Dielesen; drummer, Raven Aartsen; bassist, Corto Blommaert and guitarist, Ernst-Jan van Doorn. The band’s formation was almost backwards, with Dielesen coming up with a few songs and a name first and finding members second.

Their self-titled debut opens with “Bloodsucker,” an animosity-fueled nautical-sounding song that quickly morphs into what could be confused as a 90’s rock anthem. Mozes and the Firstborn are clearly garage, or as they describe themselves, “garage-pop.” What is striking, however, is just how clear they are. Most garage bands hide their vocals behind a wall of distortion and fuzz, but with Mozes and the Firstborn the sound of Dielesen’s voice and his words are a primary focus.

There seem to be a few different ways the artists approach their music. With songs like “Heaven” and “I Got Skills” there is almost a campfire, sing-along feel that infuses into listeners a sense of friendship and community.  There are plenty of guitar solos and catchy riffs in their music and they never seem to hold the same style for too long. When the band isn’t working itself up into a Pixies-ish frenzy, Dielesen will sing in a delayed talking style, commonly associated with bands like the Modern Lovers or the Violent Femmes.

These various styles are what make songs such as “I Got Skills” or “Gimme Some,” some of the strongest on the album. The band’s video for “Gimme Some” captures the emotion of the song perfectly even though it’s mainly kids messing around on skateboards,. The song sounds like it belongs in the background of a skate, surf, or snowboarding montage. It has just the right balance of intensity and a sense of fun. It seems to exude a subtle energy of adrenaline, like standing on the edge of a cliff with the wind blowing.

“Heaven” is a particularly beautiful song. It starts out with a static hiss that is joined by the thud of a slow, steady bass drum and then a gentle guitar riff. The vocals match the song perfectly and everything is harmoniously melancholy until the screeching guitar solo in the middle that seems to serve as a reminder of the pain of sadness and not just its artistic properties. With its delicate, sorrowful sound and lyrics, the song could have easily been at home on Beck’s 2002 album, Sea Change. “Heaven” is a key song on the album, being that it is actually on it twice, in a way. The last song is its reprise.

The 12 songs on this debut share the same influences, but radiate their own identity. Although they aren’t pulling an Alt J by re-inventing alt rock, there is a nice balance of light and heavy wounded between catchy and hooky.

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