Is it just me, or does Scandinavia put out a lot of good music? And though that area of the world is primarily known for more extreme bands, along the likes of the mighty Extol, Blindside, and Antestor, The Miscellaneous demonstrates that extreme music isn't the only quality music coming from there.
The Miscellaneous plays a tight brand of, well, modern alternative rock, for lack of a better term, since their sound really transcends the boundaries which that term boxes it into. I am hearing hints of perhaps The Choir, as a lot of the songs have an edgy, distorted guitar feel that drives the song, while others rely more on the piano and keyboards. And still others use a more laid-back guitar and a driving bass line. Many of the songs have a moody feel to them, with a dreamy backdrop to the driving force (sometimes the piano, sometimes the guitar). Others are more upfront and actually would fit in well on modern rock radio, but the difference here is that these songs are much more creative and palatable to my ear than most of what does get played on the radio. The vocals are very good, as the lead vocals are traded off between Stef and Sooi, providing a nice mix of very ample male and female vocals. Some of the songs even make use of a very nice backdrop of background vocals that complement the rest of the music like another instrument. It almost sounds as if most of the songs were a huge musical composition that was painstakingly pieced together.
The lyrics are very upfront as well. "Crumbs" starts off: "It's all about the towers of babble, the clattering of metal in the gym - it's the endless pursuits in sugar substitutes, dodging the wages of sin;" and it ends: "moth and rust - moth and rust - waiting at the table for the crumbs from God."
"1929" seems to talk about the danger of trying to live up to the American Dream: "I'll put my home up next to the sea - that crazy scheme, the American dream - and it's plain as DAY - all I own is my soul anyway." A lot of the songs seem to talk about the upcoming millennium change, as evidenced in the song "Bug" ("The sky is falling! The sky is falling"), and they point that God is the only way "to save your soul today."
Moth & Rust is edgier than their previous release, All Good Weeds Grow Up, which I also like a lot. A lot of the songs on this disc have the same feel as songs from that disc, but this one goes beyond and covers new ground. This is a very solid effort, and it is one of the better modern rock alternative albums I have heard in a while.
Other coverage for this album
7ball #27Reviewed by Treble BandopplerThe Miscellaneous' name is appropriate, as this group is an assorted lot, combining talent from around Europe. The album is as diverse as the members' nationalities, and each song has a very distinct personality and unique sound. The most peculiar facet of Moth and Rust is the presence of two lead singers: one male, one female. Not just prominent BGVs, but a true exchange of lead-mic. Stef Loy…