Apparently, East Manchester’s premier electro hip-hop reggae outfit have loads of exciting news to shout about. How many electro hip-hop reggae outfits are there in East Manchester? Cynically, I might say that for this lot to be at the top of the pile, there probably aren’t many. Like, maybe two. But Clint Boon really rates them.
‘Missing Peace’ is one of those albums that fosters a sense of unity, and combines socio-political commentary with uptempo, accessible tunes. Rappy and with pumping beats, there’s quite an old-school vibe to it all. Amidst the rapidfire raps are soulful breakdowns which make the takedowns of the government and trash culture ultimately digestible. ‘Keep Your Powder Dry’ is a massive vitriolic rock / rap crossover effort with a punk edge, part Pendulum, part Prodigy that actually works remarkably well. It’s not hard to understand how they’ve managed to sell out shows in Glasgow and Manchester, as well as snag some respectable festival slots over the last year.
‘Missing Peace’ is an accomplished and varied album. ‘Joy’ combines soul with an urgent drum ‘n’ bass beat, and elsewhere, ‘Atmosphere’ brings spacious, mournful brass together with some attacking lyrics.
Although most of the targets of The Mood’s criticism are fairly obvious and largely centre around capitalism, social division, the nebulous ‘they’, i.e. faceless oppressors, and ‘the man’, The Moods manage to avoid cheap sloganeering or being overtly preachy.
