MOG

31 Knots ep:Polemics [Polyvinyl : 2006] {to be released in November via Polyvinyl Records}

So perhaps you recall in Almost Famous, William Miller [played by that adorable Patrick Fugit] finally gets to meet Stillwater and pen that dream interview...

{William}: - "Russell. Jeff. Ed. Larry. I really love your band. I think the song "Fever Dog" is a big step forward for you guys. I think you guys producing it yourselves, instead of Glyn Johns, was the right thing to do. And the guitar sound... is incin..diar.. Incendiary. Way to go." [He turns to leave. The band members regard one another for a moment]

Wanna know how I feel about 31 Knots and ep:Polemics²? Now you do.

{Kaleb}: - "Joe. Jay. Other Jay. You guys set small fires inside thy brain that melt all my worries... like completely away! Every step you guys have taken musically since the days of 54°40' have been like leaps of Gods. Yeah - ROCK GODS! Joe - the way you stream that whole line about trespassing¹ on "Vanish" is enough to make the Rolling Stones want to crawl under a field of iron in shame. That quasi-black metal [or think that gnarly opening on Queen's "Death On Two Legs"³] guitar work on "Black Ship Auction" freaking slays! Who thought of that - shit, how the hell do you guys make it work so well? ep:Polemics is twenty minutes of my life I can honestly say was spent loving what I was doing - and I've returned to those same 20 minutes at least thirty times so far. OH - and that melodic decay that starts, finishes and is sprinkled throughout ep:P - the "glitches of greatness" - yeah, that shit's got my card.

I... I love you. You guys sound like a league of musical octopuses [not pussies - like plural octopus] who know not a wrong note, chord or path towards victory. By the way - the octopus has three hearts, and that is fucking radass."

{{ fade lights; exit; fin.}}

{ notes: }
¹"They will never trust us just like we don't trust those who trespass, trespass against us".

² The word is derived from the Greek word polemikos which means "warlike".

³ As it appears on the album Night At The Opera, the song had "Dedicated to..." written after it. Word is the song was "dedicated" to their evil ex-manager Norman Sheffield who tried to sue the band for 'defamation of character'.

Posted on 09/28/2006