Art Moore
Art Moore
ANTI-
Aug 04, 2022 Web Exclusive
If you’re at all familiar with Taylor Vick’s solo project Boy Scouts (2019’s Free Company is a fine place to start) and her achingly woozy constructs, the first thing that pops in your head is probably not that she could sound even better fronting a band. And while the freshly formed Art Moore may not be a band in the traditional sense, the collaboration between Vick and Ezra Furman cohorts Sam Durkes and Trevor Brooks makes for a winning combination. In part recorded in pandemic-style mail away fashion, the trio’s self-titled debut is a fantastic one. And if anyone knows of a better first three songs this year than the string of “Muscle Memory,” “Sixish,” and “Snowy,” please let us all know post haste.
Brooks and Durkes (sounds like the money good makings of a bro-country duo) created 10 scintillating instrumental tracks, over which Vick composed lyrics and sings in a similar style to that of her own project. The alchemy of Vick’s drolly spun couplets over the primarily synth-based tracks are what gives the project its own brand of “je ne sais quoi.” “Muscle Memory” leads things off with dirge like synths and shifts to a higher gear with a steady drum beat. Vick drops line after line of seemingly off the cuff lyrics that stun in their clarity: “At the park where we planned our trip/Not our best idea but we went with it.” She doubles down on the lushly beautiful break up song “Sixish”: “Your favorite hobby is comparison/There’s really nothing more embarrassing.” And the kicky little sparkly thing that is “Snowy” is not only otherworldly gorgeous but finds Vick at her most bereaved: “I’m sleeping at the Comfort Inn/Thinking ‘bout remember when’s.”
As hard of a set of opening songs as those are to follow, Art Moore contains many more gems. “October” could be slotted in on a playlist of Beach House’s Teen Dream highlights and no one would be none the wiser. While the low key artiness of “Something Holy” is as compelling as the folk rock underpinnings of the closing “Inspiration and Fun.” Though it may be hard to pin down the primary factor that gives the album its beguiling sense of charm, the consistent narcotic edge of Vick’s vocals might lend a clue. Only time and science will tell. If your favorite new group of the year happens to share a name with your dad’s tax accountant, you can rest assured that the Art Moore of which we speak here is a thousand times cooler. (www.artmooremusic.com)
Author rating: 8/10
Average reader rating: 6/10
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