Guitar Rock: The Mood Elevator's Married Alive

“Boycott,” the opening track of The Mood Elevator’s Married Alive, comes barreling in like a Who riff. We’re clearly in Guitar Rock territory here. The combination of heavy chords, buzzy distortion, high-toned embellishments, and a sparseness revealed in the guitar breaks reminds me of early Who where the uncontrolled rock attack met R&B, soul, and rockabilly.

The Mood Elevator took some hits in reviews of this album, saying that it was lacking lyrically or stylistically, but turn this one up and just try to turn it down again. The Mood Elevator have given us a very live performance on this album—easily putting you in mind of a set at an outdoor festival, throwing caution to the wind (see the end “Watch Your Girl), easily giving you a picture of the boys having a great time recording these songs (some of the spontaneity captured in studio chatter).

So where other reviewers might have questioned the importance of the album, I just pound the steering wheel, realizing that this is renewed classic rock or classic rock revisited—not simply derivative but actually giving us the same urgency of classic Who while also presenting something completely new. Haven’t you ever felt that need for that classic rock feeling but you’re so tired of the same tracks that keep getting repeated in the classic rock radio rotation?

Don’t get me wrong. I love stations like KQRS (KQ92) in Minneapolis and WIIL in Pleasant Prairie/Kenosha, WI, but sometimes I want to hear a new song which has all of the same drive-ready, beach-ready, hard-work-ready sound that usually only can be found on the classic rock station. Now in the Mood Elevator, that’s exactly what you’ve got, so far from being a drawback, that has meant that Married Alive has quickly become one in the heavy rotation from my stacks.

Besides the first track, there are other Who comparisons throughout the album, especially in the drum breaks, harmonies on the vocals, and geez, the illustration on the cover by Josh Gorchov has a guy on it that even sort of looks like Pete Townshend. Beyond the Who, I also hear classic inspiration from the Beatles and the Beach Boys.

In the Spectrum, the Mood Elevator is in between the Who and Matthew Sweet. Matthew Sweet isn’t a bad comparison either. Some of the guitar work and layering is very reminiscent of Matthew Sweet (see Zach Shipps’ solo on “Watch Your Girl”).

The acoustic ballads also find their place in the Who or Matthew Sweet, although here I also have to mention that Chris Plum could easily be working with a strong influence from Andy Partridge and XTC. Tracks like “Beginner’s Luck” and “Something I Need” have the quirky charm of XTC. Check out XTC’s “Dictionary” from Apple Venus Vol. 1 to especially see the connection in “Beginner’s Luck” (“Oh I looked ‘baby’/Up in the dictionary/I’ll tell you what it didn’t say/Someone who runs away/Someone who is hard to understand/who cheats on her best friend”).

Well, today the sun is shining, the snow is melting, and soon everyday I can drive around with the windows open and the Mood Elevator cranked. Someone might think I’m listening to Manitowoc’s WQTC Classic Rock, but no, it’s the Mood Elevator.

Thanks to the Mood Elevator and Keara at doppler records. In Australia, available from Stuart Coupe on Laughing Outlaw Records.