We know that Moonlight Rhythm Society can do upbeat and sassy but Here Again shows that they are just as great at doing slow and soulful. It’s not their first time down such a path, 1000 Miles Away from their most excellent Drawing Down the Moon EP was a gentle and delicate affair but they seem to be most happy when they are getting their groove on, the recent Metropolis being the perfect example.
With Here Again they take more considered and soulful sonic steps but this is no understated and minimalist vibe, even though the pace might be more relaxed, the weave of music that they draw together to create the song is still wonderfully ornate, full of exciting musical moves and fantastic to behold.
Oddly enough for such a relaxed affair, it is the drums that seem to ground everything, wandering between some most competent and uncomplicated beat-keeping and short flurries of explosive creativity. Liquid guitars add colour around the edges before getting their own time in the spotlight to take the song home and brass stabs and motifs punctuate everything brilliantly. The glue between the backbeat and the melodies is the wonderfully inventive bass lines which often seem to be vying with the lead guitar for the job of effortless mood enhancer…and why not I say. And once all of that is constructed, the vocals just seem to dance and float across the top of this proficient and perfectly poised sound.
It’s also lyrically tender, wistful and reflective and wonderfully nostalgic even in the face of the difficulties that the song portrays for its protagonists. A bittersweet soul symphony indeed.
The great thing about Moonlight Rhythm Society is their accessibility and Here Again, is as much a discerning pop ballad as it is a classic soul sound and it is always in such fusions and at such generic crossroads that the best music is found.
Soul Music never goes out of fashion, it always seems to be able to move with the times, finding its way into every successive era and able to mix and match with any number of other genres of music to create a new take on things. Here Again, is a case in point of its versatility, the sound of such classic soul sounds being wound around the core of an infectious modern pop song. And the results are as wonderfully accessible as they are a joy to behold.
Pop may be the master of melody but Soul is the queen of the groove and this song exhibits both elements to the fullest.
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