Moose: As Advertised EP Review
“As Advertised” isn’t carried by its vocals or lyrics - instead, by a questionable and cheap selection of samples.
“This feeling is overpowering” for Chris (AKA: Moose), and so are the sounds used on his debut EP.
I never imagined an indie band creating an album so bad it was worse than Justin Bieber, but lo and behold, As Advertised did it. I’m happy his wife thinks it’s cute, but I can’t imagine lovers of the genre enjoying anything about it.
They Might Be Giants is a strange artist to take inspiration from among other soul and folk influences. He claims that he writes indie pop/rock, but As Advertised is anything but. If I were to assign it a genre, I would say it’s some subgenre of electronic, maybe computer music.
Even by those standards, the “instrumentals” used on this EP resemble that of a warped record or badly damaged CD. The beat sounds either rushed or dragging on top of the vocals (and I do mean on top of them — they overpower them), and his vocals sound off at times like in the track, “Old News.” His voice sounds like it would fit well in the indie/psychedelic scene, but the sounds he uses as music as too cheap and bubbly to blend together well.
As Advertised isn’t carried by its vocals or lyrics, as hard as it tries. The aforementioned “Old News” sounds like it’s trying to be an electronic Alex Turner speak-singing over elevator music. The lyrics of “Irl” are cringe-worthy at best, littering text-speak once or twice per line, it seems. And I’m not exaggerating: “Maybe you’d LOL if I sent you a GIF.” It has an attitude about it trying to be one of the “cool kids” and it is not subtle about it, either.
No, the EP is carried instead by the worst possible aspect you could add to a song: samples. And his selection is strange, at best: sitcom laugh-tracks to end off “Old News,” the “You’ve got mail!” notification in “Irl,” and even monkey noises in “A Fine Specimen?!”
I understand that this is my own opinion. People love albums that I hate. But I can’t imagine anyone loving this EP. I would love to hear what a fan has to say about it — maybe I’m missing something. The worst part? I actually think he could pull off a career in music. So pinch me and tell me it’s a dream, because I can’t stand this first EP. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever heard worse than this. And I certainly hope that I never will.
Overall Rating: 0.0/10
