Mothboxer - Breathe

 

We are more Door Openers of the new to us here, but there are some Teacher's Pets who never ever let us down. I'm thinking of the likes of The Mommyheads, Ex Norwegian, The Orange Peels, Chris Church, Spygenius, Mothboxer and quite a few more.

These bands don't get special treatment. If they released a mediocre album, it wouldn't be covered. But they never do. In many cases, they don't release the same album twice. We also know what they are about, so can spot anything that isn't spot on. But we never do.

Dave Ody's Mothboxer are splendid. Albums are beautifully arranged and genre bending at times without ever losing sight of the melody and wherever possible offer up a chorus to kill for. Breathe feels a little different. To my ears, it sounds the poppiest they've ever been.

Riffs and melody lines are everywhere, the vocals are much more upfront and some of the solos are magnificently jaw dropping, Mick Ronson-esque at times. The depth of the harmony led songs catches you by surprise. So let me tell you about some of the songs.

I have a theory that when the word California is in the title of a song, it will be a winner. It certainly is here. It is great 70s Pop Rock, nearest to 10CC probably. It is great piano pop that, unlike some slower songs on great albums, never stays in one place.

Led By Clowns mirrors John Miles with a great Glam Rock Riff. No Ones Joking goes Electronic with a twee keyboard hook, but Ody cannot resist adding a massive Psych Pop like chorus to it. There is much more Piano on the album than usual, but only to enhance the Pop.

When I Had All The Time is a magnificent big ballad. adorned by an adorable Baroque Pop accompaniment. An arrangement that is a little Peter Skellern without the Brass. All The Things has a real "all together now" with a vocal interlude that could be on Roy Wood's Mustard and a killer guitar solo. Free Ride opens the album with a splendid urgency.

As with all Mothboxer albums, the excellence usually surrounds one particular gobsmacking song. It could have been California here, but even that is out trumped here by the sheer wonder of Operator. If you are a Pop Rock admirer, then this song is the finest example.

I get excited by any new Mothboxer album and you rarely get much advance notice that they are about to appear. But everything here is bigger, the sound, the riffs, the harmonies and the melody. Ody has never sung better and seems to have a bigger gloss on the Guitar solos, never that long, but particularly gripping. Breathe is an absolute masterclass.

You can listen to and buy the album here or here.

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