Moth Wranglers

Moth Wranglers are actually a collaboration between Chris Xefos (ex-King Missile) and LD Beghtol (from NYC band Flare), although it would be better described as a super-group based on the other people who turn up to help out with the proceedings. The list of people contributing to Never Mind The Context is absolutely frightening in its scope - there are ex-members of Camper Van Beethoven and American Music Club alongside current members of the Posies, the Klezmatics, the Loud Family and a whole bunch of other people who can't be categorised easily. Plus, Stephin Merritt brings along many of the other people from the Magnetic Fields with him, making the project feel like a lesser version of 69 Love Songs, at times. But just when you think you've managed to pin down the Moth Wranglers, they take an unexpected tangent that leaves you dazed and confused. That's what is so intriguing about Never Mind The Context, for every accessible pop song like "Turnabout" (the most immediate track by far and, not surprisingly, the first single), there's something creepy and affecting like "Six-Page Letter." Then there's the "oompah" band on "Figure-Ground" that verges on parody, and it would be hard not to mention "Souvenir‚" which is a heavily orchestrated Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark cover. While Never Mind The Context might not be nearly as clever as it would like to be, it is has enough intriguing ideas that are executed in a way that could be never be described as dull. Fans of the Magnetic Fields will love it.