In a way,
HeadSeed is the purest of
moe.'s studio albums. Like
Phish's
Junta, the disc captures the band in first flowering. The basic concept of the band is stripped bare and sounds fresh: a lively mix of post-punk, ska, and hippie influences, without any particular grand aspirations other than to capture what they sound like. Just because the disc is a low budget effort doesn't mean it is without solid production values.
Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey's guitars are mixed crisply, the vocals are in just the right balance, and the band resists the urge to mic the drums in any fancy manner. Most bands should be so lucky as to self-produce a disc that sounds this great. Above all, there is an amiable innocence to the music -- the classical-sounding acoustic guitar and ragamuffin harmonies on "Mexico," the swirling funk psychedelia of "Brent Black" and "Timmy Tucker," and the college pop of "St. Augustine" are all nothing less than charming as hell. ~ Jesse Jarnow