by Ross Jenkins (@jenkinsross)
The latest in Mountain Movers’ deepening discography, World What World shows the New Haven, Connecticut band continuing to explore their own beautifully distorted landscape. Its single, “Way Back to the World,” is a Crazy Horse-esque anthem that at first gives the impression that this might be the record where the lyrics and structure come to the foreground - a feeling that is quickly dismissed by an oscillating, overdriven solo that threatens to derail the entire ensemble. Where most bands would fall apart, Mountain Movers thrive. This willingness to deconstruct such climactic moments is what makes the band’s records exciting, and always worth revisiting.
On opener “I Wanna See the Sun,” frontman Dan Greene depicts a wanderer searching for “innocent pleasures” while on a dutiful quest to “kill the snake,” lyrics that evoke a grim, biblical setting. The song is ruminative, propelled by a slacker-dirge of a jam that brings to mind early Built to Spill before any classic rock references. “Final Sunset” kicks in, with bassist Rick Omonte and drummer Ross Menze locking into a krautrock-influenced pace that doesn’t let up for the track’s entire six minutes. The complimentary shredding of Greene and Kryssi Battalene is at its most expressive, with the two guitarists harmonizing and creating the fuzzed-out texture that might as well be the band’s signature. Battalene’s playing is melodic, unpredictable, and forces the rest of the group to react. By the time we reach the apocalyptic second half of “Then the Moon” the band has already created and destroyed enough material that most psych-rock bands would call it a day with.
Crucial to the band’s sound is the live and unrestrained form that each album takes; a performance that’s tastefully edited to fit the LP format. An editorial hand guides us through tracks that start (what feels like) midway through a longer jam, and others that fade out not long after achieving altitude. Greene’s voice appears for a verse or two before pulling back. Song titles like “The Last City” compliment the stark, apocalyptic sound that the group cultivates. Mountain Movers are portraying a world in collapse. “World? What world?”
This weaving landscape leads eventually to closer “Flock of Swans,” a veritable indie rock hit that by any other band would be given to the listener too soon. Major-keyed, wide, jangly chords are at odds with the singer’s visions of shut down hospitals, markets, a “sleep that took hold of the world.” The morose wanderer returns for a while, but is overtaken by the searing single-coil attack of Greene and Battalene. Omonte and Menze maintain a steady volume, carrying the swelling guitars over the finish line. Eight albums in, and Mountain Movers are better, louder, and more destructive than ever.