Mood Elevator - Married Alive

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 29 / 12 / 2003

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Review

One of the best releases of 2003 was the Mood Elevator EP ‘Long Hard Look’. The band (which features Chris Plum and power pop hero Brendan Benson) picked four tracks for that EP. Only two of them appear on this album; ‘Long Hard Look’ and ‘Boycott’. The version of ‘Boycott’ that appeared on the EP was the radio edit (otherwise known as the Robbie Williams edit; the word shit was treated so it wouldn’t offend us) and here is a strange thing. There were very few days that I didn’t play that EP up to the time I received this album, and ‘Boycott’ was drummed into my brain so much that I actually prefer the ‘radio edit’. I got so accustomed to the effect used to disguise the offending word that I actually miss it on this version! But that is the only negative thing I could say about this collection of 11 songs ( there are, in fact, 12 according to the CD player but the last track is just a few lines of studio chatter). After the brilliance of the EP this album is all I expected it to be and a little more. Despite “Love Breaks Your Heart” in bold type running through the liner notes this is a surprisingly ‘up’ record. Chris Plum wrote or co-wrote all of the songs here and he is obviously no stranger to matters of the heart but it’s certainly not an album to drown your sorrows to even though in slower tracks like ‘Anglophile’ the mood is more subdued , for at least half of the song anyway. The song starts off with just acoustic guitar and piano and it’s not until half way in when the electric guitars burst through and Plum emotionally spits out “In another life I’d have you by my side” that the song takes another direction. From that moment on the song changes from a pretty ballad about unrequited love to an emotionally charged power pop ballad with guts. Power pop (this album could loosely be grouped into that genre although there is a definite harder rock sound to some of these songs and the quieter moments are not cut of the same cloth as the usual power pop ballad) is often accused of not being up to scratch lyrically. That accusation can not be directed at these songs. There are lyrical gems littered throughout these songs. Take ‘Best Kept Secret’ for example ! It seems a simple enough song about a girl and her lover (seen through the eyes of a secret admirer maybe?) at the kick off and ends with the lines, “Now her hair left in his sink, Bad weather, icy bridge, and her car in the drink!” A simple, touching yet heartbreaking line (another from the same song: “He remembers all those in love heart attacks”) which then changes in a heartbeat into something sinister and has the listener wondering what the hell is going on! All the while these songs are full of Benson’s trademark harmonies, soaring guitar and melodies which register from first play. Normally albums which deal with heartbreak are not albums one would put on to lift a mood. Maybe to wallow in thoughts about a lost love and to make one try to make sense of it all, sure, but not to instantly lift the mood like this album does. If the lyrics weren’t printed in the inlay maybe it wouldn’t have been so noticeable but songs with lyrics such as these don’t normally make you want to dance around the room! Each song here has a distinct style, from the pounding, driving opener, ‘Boycott’ through the strangest track on the album, ‘Life Line’, a short acoustic tune showcasing Benson’s and Plum’s harmony skills, to one of the other highlights, the 60's influenced ‘Beginner’s Luck’ (which is also on the CD as a video), but the band still manages to maintain an overall consistent sound which is unmistakeably the Mood Elevator. ‘Everything’s In Place’ is ‘Our House’ by Crosby, Stills and Nash for the new century and the closing song, ‘At The Wedding’ is another song concerning lost love coupled with a melody which makes you want to dance. With some effective stereo panning during the "Now I’m over here" bridge and lines like "I aint wearing black out of respect for you and you” the tune again belies the sentiment of the lyrics. This is another album with no filler, not that I had any doubts after tucking away two exceptional songs on that EP and not having to include them on this collection. Essential stuff.

Track Listing:-

1 Boycott
2 Watch Your Girl
3 Anglophile
4 Guilty
5 Long Hard Look
6 Life Line
7 Beginner's Luck
8 Something I Need
9 Best Kept Secret
10 Everything's in Place
11 At the Wedding

Label Links:-

http://www.laughingoutlaw.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/laughingoutla
https://laughingoutlaw.bandcamp.com/