MOSCOW CLUB BRADBURY EP

Wow. This couldn't get more 80s if it tried. But it's such a nice sound, such a summery one too - for me anyway - that I'm not surprised that moscow club (or möscow çlub) has chosen to adopt this style (they call it "nerdwave") for themselves. Indeed, this Japanese band have totally taken the spirit and vibe of pop music from that era and plonked it right here - obviously, in the 2010s we have much better recording facilities than they did 30 years ago. So you can make 80s music these days, but you can make it a hell of a lot better.

And I thought that this sound was shown best in moscow club's Bradbury EP released four months ago, which features two songs 'Farenheit 451' and 'and the Moon be still as bright'. These are both references to the work of Ray Bradbury, of whom the band must evidently be fans - the first song takes its title from Bradbury's novel of the same name and the second is the title of one of the later chapters of The Martian Chronicles, which in turn takes its name from a Byron poem:

So we'll go no more a-roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.

Lovely innit. Don't you love context? Although music from the heart is nice, music inspired by emotions towards everyday situations or perhaps not so everyday ones, it is still a nice little surprise when a band is inspired by literature or some other kind of non-music stimulus to create their stuff. It gives extra dimensions and links different pieces of art - through their musical reactions - in interesting ways. But enough theory.

'Farenheit 451' begins with an excerpt I can only guess is from a reading of the book itself. Then it kicks straight into life, a foot tapping bassline funking its way through and a wailing synth weaving on top of it. The vocals are really catchy - even though I don't know the lyrics, I have already found myself humming them. Why would anyone hum a bad song? Get me?

The second song, 'and the Moon be still as bright', is a more nocturnal affair, with ambient synths creeping along like liquid nitrogen across an old movie set. The bassline, as with the first song, is complex and funky, delivering the heart of the song in pure groove format. The band seem to be unable not to create a catchy tune, as everything about this one is just as catchy as the first. Vocals, synth melodies, ambient breakdowns - they're all perfect. And this one has handclaps, too. You have to be a mental human not to like this.

This indie band (indie in the full sense of the word and utterly DIY) actually have an album out at the moment called Station, for which they are also pressing their first vinyl LP, that you can listen to on their SoundCloud. Where to start? Just listen to all of it of you liked this. And all of their past stuff.

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