Although their website (www.moyaband.com ) features an English version, information regarding Belarus post-rockers MOYA is still relatively scant. However, this intriguing, eponymously-titled 10-track demo has already attracted a few discerning Western ears, not least one Keiran 'Four Tet' Hebden, who posted a very encouraging message after giving these tracks a lengthy critical once-over.
And it's not hard to see why, because this 26-minute demo certainly has its' moments. It's entirely instrumental music and sometimes you get the feeling the ten tracks have been edited down crudely from longer, Can-style workouts. Yet what remains is well worthy of inspection and shows real promise in the long run.
I've no idea whether it's with Residents-style enigma in mind or simply a lack of workable English that prevents the tunes (bar the concluding cover of Mogwai's "Arundel") from having titles, so you'll have to make do with me referring to them as "Track 1, "Track 2" etc, but don't let that put you off, as a number of these set-pieces are long on atmosphere and have their individual quirks to recommend them.
"Track 1" gives you some idea of what to expect. Soothing and enigmatic, it's built around ringing guitar, exploratory, rimshot-heavy drums and skirling violin. It's poised, dreamy and mournful and orbits you gracefully, cutting off just as you're getting sucked into its' languid groove.
"Track 2" and "Track 3" consolidate nicely, with "Track 3"s descending, chromatic scale, ambient break and gypsy violin frenzy sounding especially enticing, while the distant, lo-fi "Track 4" is nervous and tense, recalling both The Sea & Cake and the rustic likes of Daniel Patrick Quinn. "Track 5" is arguably better again: warmer in its' approach with an almost reggae-style lilt and a neo-dub mentality.
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Further achievements await thanks to "Track 8" and the closing cover of Mogwai's "Arundel". The former is a sketchy version of the kind of thing The Cure might have tingled us with circa "Seventeen Seconds", while Moya's "Arundel" gets to the melancholic core of the original and demonstrates Moya are up and coming masters of mood.
All of which is promising for the future, though the main thing Moya need to work on are their dynamics. Yes, the 10 tracks here prove they are extremely skilful where setting up mood and atmosphere are concerned, but several of them plod aimlessly and fall headlong into the trap of sounding meandering and samey instead of conspiring to come to a definite conclusion. Some fire and vital light and shade would be most welcome, especially during the middle section.
Still, these are issues which will probably be straightened out in the future when - hopefully - Moya will have the opportunity to spend longer in the studio with (fingers crossed) a budget of sorts at their disposal. It's early days yet, but there is fledgling quality in evidence here and Moya may yet get the chance to put Minsk on the rock'n'roll map. They certainly deserve a crack at the title.
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