IN REVIEW: Moist - "Glory Under Dangerous Skies"

Longtime lovers of rock and alternative music in Canada have to be feeling a little weird these days. More and more major Canadian alt bands from the '90s that went gently into the night have resurfaced in recent years (see: Headstones, Big Wreck, the Grapes of Wrath, etc.), armed not just with reunion tours but also with new material. So when Moist announced their return amid The Tea Party's unveiling of their first new music in a decade, there simply wasn't enough thunder to go around, and I sadly approached Moist's fourth album with a little less excitement than I normally would have.

One of the first things you'll notice about Glory Under Dangerous Skies is the abundance of guitars. This is surely at least partially due to production duties being handled by lead guitarist Mark Makoway; far be it for me to complain about guitars being present on a rock album, but they're a lot more prevalent here than on Moist's original trinity of albums. Indeed, the songs by and large bear a harder edge, marking Glory Under Dangerous Skies far and away Moist's most out-and-out rock record.

This is great news for anyone who enjoyed Moist in the '90s and fondly remembers the uniquely melodic brand of rock they brought to the table. There are plenty of reminders here; Broken cross pollinates two of their biggest singles (Push and Resurrection) to create something simultaneously familiar and refreshing. Comes The Sun recalls Leave It Alone briefly en route to a soaring chorus. Of course, Moist were just as well known for their heart wrenching ballads, and we get a couple of those too in the form of Still I Won't Look Down and the title track (which reminds me somewhat vividly of Ebb Away by ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, but I'm sure I'm the only one).

There are some signs of new ground being broken as well; take Morning Dies Here, which proves The Killers are more influential than I could ever bear to give them credit for. Current single Black Roses comes in on a fuzzed out bass riff and charges hard into HIM territory, and the results are more thrilling than you think. God Is In The White Rice carries after effects of an acid trip George Harrison took in '67, and the song doesn't attempt to overpower, content to simply wash over you and melt away. It's a much different look for the band, but it works in its own way.

Your enjoyment of Glory Under Dangerous Skies doesn't hinge on whether or not you were on board for Moist's original run, but fond memories of their early records (especially Silver and Creature) will certainly help you along. That said, there is much to appreciate here, in both the nostalgic sense and the purely musical. It doesn't dethrone Creature as my favourite Moist record, but it earns its place alongside it, and is as good a reason as any to dust the original albums off and go back to a time when being a Canadian rock fan was more thrilling than it had ever been before or would be again.

October 7, 2014 • Universal

Highlights Broken • Black Roses • God Is in the White Rice