Moth & the Flame
&, 2013

Interesting fact: the Moth & the Flame are a project founded by former founding drummer Andrew Tolman of the indie-pop set Imagine Dragons. Don’t let that fool you, though, as this is not at all like the radio friendly work that Tolman previously produced; this is much more intense, bass-heavy work reminiscent of the grunge era with a modern synth twist. Can sometimes stray into chaotic territory, but otherwise a solid debut. Wonderful use of that static guitar melody and an echoey vocal range—the best tracks, in fact, are those where the two are combined for optimal effect.

1. **(3:31) Kicks off with the best track on the album; echoey, wailing vocals, heavy bass, pervasive beat (reminiscent of clapping) keeps it going. A little bit of—is that an organ?—adds to nice buildup in the last half of the song.

2. (3:56) More of the echo and static-y guitar. Feels a bit more chaotic than the last song, much more percussion driven.

3. *(3:51) Much grittier sound, bass heavy with wailing guitar punctuating the choruses/transitions between the first and second halves of the song (the first kicking off with a blast of noise, the second building up from near silence). Think musical angst.

4. (3:51) Trapped energy that builds up to the chorus. Driven by an energetic bass tune that slows and speeds up throughout the song. Gritty guitar static/noise helps with build up.

5. (2:16) Vocals backed by harmonizing that adds a very ethereal feel. Very synth driven (again, organ noise) as the song builds up, only to then just fade away. Beautiful track, not sure if the best to play on air (too short).

6. **(4:43) Intro guitars: excellent. Track fluctuates between lots of static guitar and crashing cymbals to a near silent synth buzz with echoey sound bites (radio rips?) floating in the background. The vocals are just enough wail and whisper to really drive the tone shifts home.