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The Mourning Sun's "Lookin' Like I Was to Blame"

By Joe Moore

The Mourning Sun

At first listen, it would be safe to simply label this Indiana, PA band a ‘jam band’. The main reason for that sound seems to stem from front man Matt Malooley. While he has some vocal ability, on this song he’s just trying too hard in his delivery. (That ability is more evident in the better performance on their other track “Throwing it all Away’). The lyrics become hard to understand, and much of the song’s emotion is lost. They sound somewhat narrow and limited in their reach.

Instrumentally, is a different story with a solid effort rhythmically from a nice Bryan Tipton riff at the 2:00 mark, followed by an excellent performance by Sean Murphy on lead guitar which emerges from nowhere with a great fuzzy tone. Truly the saving grace of the song. Overall, a good effort, but not as solid as their other MySpace offerings “Throwing it all Away” or the more emotionally-driven “Confusion”. I think there is enough raw ability to reach beyond a label like ‘jam band’, I suspect there is a real potential to be a harder-edged band. It’ll be interesting to see how they progress.

For more of The Mourning Sun visit their myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/forthemourningsun

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Italy by Tyler Rullo

By Joe Moore

Tyler Rullo in the Studio

The thing about Tyler Rullo is the casual approachability I hear in each of his songs. Nothing is every recorded to force your attention. That holds true for Italy as well: everything from the lyrics to the accordion and background vocal is subtle and understated. The trouble with that effortless approach is that it’s easy for some acoustic music to slip into the background and remain unappreciated. Italy, like most good acoustic songs, draws you in the more closely you listen. There is warmth in the spaces between the notes.

Italy reminds me a little of his earlier song High Class Broad. But, there has already been a lot of growth since then. When he sings clever lines like “My life is boring & I tell stories/ I’ve met women, most of them ignore me.” It’s sung with such mumbled acceptance; no bravado or self-pity.

The Money (When It Comes) by DSK

By Joe Moore

DSK

The money (when it calls) tells the story of a father so involved with material gain, that he’s lost his family in the pursuit and seems sadly oblivious to the fact. Essentially, he’s presented as someone who forfeits his family and ‘sells their souls’ but his motives are never questioned, they are merely accepted as a consequence of doing his duty and being a ‘business man’. The song never judges harshly, merely touches on the results of his absence.

Musically, there is an obvious indebtedness to the synthesized R&B pop of the early 1980s. Yet, instead of sounding campy, clichéd or retro, the throw-back sound lends it a familiarity: like good material from that era recently discovered. The singing has all the lushness and drama of Roxy Music’s Brian Ferry or ABC’s Martin Fry and is delivered well with an light Italian accent which ads a uniqueness to it.