Mood

For a band that has been together just over a year, it is hard to believe that the Mood sound quite so accomplished and have managed to release both an EP (The Honest Lies) and this debut full-length. They also take themselves very seriously, supposedly trying to explore the human duality and its consequences. Their words, not mine. The Mood have a strong Radiohead influence but they don’t actually follow it through with any conviction. Instead, they seem like graduates of the Matthew Good school of Radiohead emulation, and their attempt to be just like their idols is a little too earnest. They verge upon sounding like a cover band rather than just a band with similar tastes and influences, and that tends to undermine the stronger songs. The songs work better when taken in isolation, so radio and television airplay could definitely be the Mood’s best friend. Yet over the duration of the whole album, the songs bleed into each other and their mimeograph technique grows tired — perhaps it is time for them to start seeking out some more diverse influences. And developing a sense of humour wouldn’t hurt either.