My goal in writing album reviews isn’t to rank albums and give them some arbitrary number. It isn’t to tell people they have to listen to a certain artist or track or they’ll be missing out for the rest of their lives. I think I want people to appreciate the time, effort and emotions poured into the music musicians create.
In the case of MooM and Yo La Tengo, each of these bands have viewpoints they want expressed into the world. With each of their recent releases (MooM’s being this month and Yo La Tengo’s being last year), they both express their frustrations they feel are rampant throughout our world.
In this article I’ll be talking about MooM’s perspective. In another article, I’ll be talking about Yo La tengo’s perspective.
MooM is a powerviolence/ hc band from Tel Aviv Yafo, Israel. “Plague Infested Urban Dump of the Future” was released on January 10, 2024 through Raleigh’s own To Live A Lie Records. This album was recorded at Polar Studios by Gad Torrefrancae. MooM’s members include Sima (Vocals), Ez Ra (Guitar), Gad (Bass) and Heshbon (Drums).
In an old article by Lixiviat Records that interviews MooM, they list a large number of projects the band members worked on in the past and bands they want to keep supporting that are local to them. It’s definitely interesting to read and understand a little bit of where this band comes from in terms of sound influences.
Our Plague Infested Urban Dumps:
“Intro” until “Ein Essek”
The first four tracks of this album blend together seamlessly. The transitions from “Intro” into “Adom” are like an invisible barrier and that same treatment goes into the next couple tracks too. MooM’s sounds are incredibly harsh, which is why I was drawn to them; this band exudes anger, resentment, chaos and sludge.
“Ma Ye Ha’sof?” until “Meorav Ha’Porao”
The next five tracks are also seamless. One flows into the next into the next into the next. By building up anger and grief and rage into your ears, MooM helps us explode in the faces of those creating our toxic dump urban sprawls. How do we stand up to those that allow harmful policies to continually destroy without loud opposition? Screaming at the tops of our lungs might be the first step, but how do we keep going if we’re running on fumes of rage?
“Le’ashim Et Ha’yareac” until “Mazmina Shinui”
Alright this section is quite as seamless, but that is because some of the tracks are meant to be more discordant than others. I really enjoy the guitar in this section of the album as it feels more violent and eruptive than earlier parts.
“Wake Up from My Sleep” until “Lo Babayt”
The vocals by Sima and backup guttural, throaty growls by another member are the highlights of this section of the album. A return to the never-ending, concussive drums creates a sense of fear and prickles crawling up and down my spine. This especially occurs in “Lo Babayt”. The final song of the album is a step down in pacing as it unwinds all the emotions ripping through our ears for the past nineteen minutes.
Sprawling City ‘Scapes of Green. Where Are You?
MooM’s PLague Infested Urban Dump of the Future” isn’t supposed to be a wakeup call to the horrors of our daily life. It’s a reflection on the terrible reality that people are constantly facing. It’s the emotions that leak out into the void and never echo back. Feeling and fueling the building discomfort from how the world is currently working is one way to help others find their own voice to critique the kinds of systems in which we live.
Bringing MooM’s recent release into the same circle as Yo La Tengo’s “This Stupid World” is strange. The sounds of the two albums couldn’t be more different, but Yo La Tengo’s subject matter of the fear of time can relate to MooM’s anti-oppression and fear induced anger themes. Both are afraid of how people react to the systems that are reaching around humanity and stringing us up like a puppet, moving our mouths and arms and legs.
Well, if you’re interested in a slower version of fear rather than MooM’s fast-paced anger, you can check out my thoughts on Yo La Tengo’s “This Stupid World”.
