Bag Of Bones - On Moving On

01. A Sunset Drive
02. Wolf's Lane
03. Elysian Fields
04. Thermal Paste
05. Interlude
06. Walk
07. Memorial Park
08. Kindred Spirits
09. Guinea Woods (Bonus)
10. Empty House (Bonus)

Fans of heartfelt midwest-style emo will no doubt know the name John Molfetas. For the unaware, he is the driving force behind Long Island band Bag Of Bones, and has also taken care of recording and mixing duties on recent releases by Oswald ('Blunders' EP - check it out!) Our Daily Fix and a 4-way split featuring bands such as Twin Lakes, Thurston, This Noisy Century and the aforementioned Bag Of Bones. This new record, 'On Moving On', has come hot on the heels of last years 'Deep Thought', which was one of my favourite albums of 2012. 'Deep Thought' was an incredible blend of twinkly guitars, introspective lyrics with some trumpets and gang vox thrown in for good measure. This new record continues in the same vein and while not a radical departure in terms of sound, I think it's a step forward in terms of production and songwriting. At first listen, John has included more instruments on this record and it has a beefier sound - I can definitely picture this record being played on stage by a full band to a gang of kids singing their hearts out, whereas 'Deep Thought' tended to sound like one guy playing all the instruments in his room. The record starts just like 'Deep Thought' did; with a sample. Whereas 'Deep Thought' began with Jesse from Brand New reminiscing about discovering Archers Of Loaf, this record starts with a sample of what I'm guessing is Johns mother leaving him a birthday message on his 19th birthday, before launching into 'A Sunset Drive' which really takes off with John screaming "Is it about time, that the universe threw something my way?" in a way that brings to mind Brand New and already I'm thinking that Bag Of Bones are going to be appearing in my top albums of the year list for a second consecutive year. The next track 'Wolf's Lane' follows a similar lyrical theme and includes one of my highlights of the album right at the 2 minute mark with some crunching guitars and an awesome vocal delivery. It's the first of many amazing moments in an incredible album. If you're a fan of bands like Dowsing, Mineral, Into It. Over it or Annabel, you'll find something to love on this record. It's available on bandcamp at name your own price, and I strongly recommend checking it out then getting everything that John Molfetas has attached his name to - you won't regret it.

Reviewed by Gary.

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