A driving rock drumbeat opens this Melbourne band’s four-track EP, but the song takes off in an unexpected direction. The ‘drive’ is still very much present but instead of a basic four-on-the-floor rock song that the opening suggests, Chicken Bone is a rough hewn slice of funk power with gravelly, almost Tom Waits-esque vocals.
Grizzly Bear follows, again opening with drums. This time it’s a simple pulsing bass drum that sounds like the engineer put a mic next to the drum and hit record – it’s raw with no effects and it doesn’t sound like a fake techno beat. Again, the vocals are gritty, but more bluesy this time. Indeed, the song juxtaposes blues and funk beautifully.
The title track brings the pace back and brings the slow burning blues up even more. But the song is no less compelling than those that proceeded it, despite its comparative sparseness. There’s even a touch of Jeff Buckley style ambience in the outro.
Superman Escape builds devastatingly from a quiet but menacing opening, and builds into a chugging riff and groove.
Moroccan Kings are very difficult to categorise. They bring the funk, the blues, the rock, the dynamics and the quirk factor to the table in droves, and deliver it all with a sense of humour as well, all in the confined space of just four songs. Moroccan Kings are an enigma – an anomaly even, but in the most enjoyable way possible.
Best Track: Superman Escape
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Very hard to say
In A Word: Unique
