Mos Generator/Stubb – The Theory of Light and Matter

I have really been digging split releases lately. I don't know if it's because there are just a lot of good ones out there, or because several bands I really like have been putting out their fair share, but it seems like a good time to love splits. I've been listening to this one probably more than any others lately, so it's high time I told you about it.

Mos Generator have been killing it with the splits they have been part of. I don't want to give myself too much credit, but in listening to the tunes they contribute to these releases in comparison to what they put out on their own full length releases, I've felt like there has been something a little different going on with their music. Lo and behold, in the liner notes to this release, main man Tony Reed says this:”...this LP continues to explore a different and more honest side of my songwriting and is a glimpse into future directions that the band might take...”. It's cool when you can notice changes in music from a band you really like, and then find out it's really true and not just the drugs talking again.

The three songs here from Mos Generator are all gems. “As Above So Below” manages that great balance of being catchy and heavy and is a great rock song. “Catspaw” has a great, twisty, turny riff and rhythm and there's something about this song that feels introspective and contemplative even when it's rocking out. The final song, “There's No Return From Nowhere” starts off sounding like it could be a lost track from Led Zeppelin III with some beautiful acoustic playing, and then this monster riff just crashes in and takes the song in a completely different direction. Nice little change of pace, that, and another great set of songs from Mos Generator.

I don't mean to short change the boys from Stubb at all, because their 3 songs are equally stunning. These guys are fantastic at taking a riff or rhythm pattern and just building and building upon it, taking it in every direction and giving us, the listeners, some very tasty jams. That is certainly the case with their opener, “Priestess of the Moon”. The second track, “The Wingmakers”, is an instrumental and for me is just a really moving track. Like, I literally get into this song so much that I worry I might forget to breathe. I really dig this one. Their final track is “Witch's Kiss”, another that just builds up to awesomeness. The tone and atmosphere of this song reminds of Black Sabbath's first album, in that it has a bluesy feel to it, yet you also feel that at any moment the song is going to turn the blues inside out and go for a psychedelic ride.

All in all, I have to say a huge thank you to these bands and HeviSike for putting this out. With a release called “The Theory of Light and Matter”, you expect things that make you think, and all the songs from both of these bands really do that. Here's to more split releases and if they can all be like this one, I may never go back to full albums by one band again.

- ODIN