Mobtown Moon "Mobtown Moon"

Country: USA
Sub Genre: Jazz, Fusion, Progressive Rock
Release date: May 7, 2013
Tracklist: 

1. The City Speaks 00:58
2. Breathe (chant version) 01:11
3. Breathe 04:34
4. On the Run 03:42
5. Time 05:11
6. The Great Gig in the Sky 05:55
7. Money 04:23
8. Dream-Counterfeit 02:35
9. Us and Them 07:39
10. Any Colour You Like 05:13
11. Brain Damage 04:56
12. Eclipse 02:51

Line-up: 
Sandy Asirvatham - vocals, piano, keyboards
ellen cherry - vocals, background vocals, drum programming & bells, sound assembly, tuning radio, Moog, cello
Brian Simms - vocals, background vocals, accordion, piano, organ
Vincent Stringer - vocals, background vocals, Breathe reprise vocal
Ben Frock - trumpet
Jeff Reed - electric bass
Frank Russo - drums
Scott Smith - guitar
Andrew Grimm - banjo
Dave Hadley - pedal steel
Scott Smith - drum programming & bells
Warren Boes - guitar
Matthew Everhart - electric bass
Christian Stengle - drums
Nicholas Currie - violin
Kate Zahradnik - viola
Tim Anderson - cello
Bryan Young - bassoon
Cris Jacobs - vocal, guitar
Jake Leckie - acoustic bass
Mike Gambone - drums
David “Native Son” Ross - spoken word
Femi The DriFish - spoken word
Jen Smith - cello
Russell Kirk - alto saxophone
Todd Marcus - bass clarinet
Eric Kennedy - drums
Lea Gilmore - vocal
Craig Alston - tenor and baritone saxophones
Patrick Klink - background vocals
Katie Graybeal - background vocals
Brian Gundersdorf - background vocals
OrchKids Choir directed by Dion Cunningham (Keyon Brewington, Nyshae Cheatham, Jameria
Crippens, Kayla Dickerson, Monique Graves, Lawrence Howell III, John McFadden, Joseph Wilkerson,
Dasani Young) - vocals
John Thomakos - drums

Description/Reviews: 

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s worldwide hit record, Dark Side of the Moon, Mobtown Moon has brought together many of Baltimore’s most creative musicians, from across many styles and genres of music, to record and perform a unique, compelling, and unapologetically beautiful interpretation of this classic work.
This is no mere cover project recreating the original album note-for-note. That’s been done many times before. Instead, Mobtown Moon features fresh grooves and eclectic sounds derived from jazz, classical music, choral music, bluegrass, hip-hop and of course, rock. These immortal rock-and-roll hits will be heard anew.

“Mobtown Moon” is the vision of co-producers Sandy Asirvatham & ellen cherry, who managed to take a piece of classic Americana, and strip it down to the basic melodies and rebuild it in a completely original fashion.
Like the original, the album works as a through-composed art piece, where one song leads directly into the next, but that is pretty much where the comparisons end. “Mobtown Moon,” managed to rework these classic songs in such a manner that you forget you are listening to re-imagined versions and enjoy them on their own merit. Aside from the basic melody, everything else is altered: instrumentation, chord substitutions/structure, arrangement, tempo, etc.
The overall vibe of the album is somewhere between jazz-fusion and classic progressive rock, and manages the perfect balance between live performance and digital loops, and sound effects. The arrangements in general are very intricate, and cover a lot of musical ground from jazz standards, to country, progressive rock, chant, blues, roots, and on and on. However, through the performance and production of “Mobtown Moon,” the entire CD has an easy feel about it, with an even flow. Every transition was made at just the right time, with just the right amount of arrangement. Complex 7/8 time signatures and syncopated bass lines are performed with an air of intrigue as opposed to a demonstration of “chops.” The entire album functions as an ensemble, with the feel of a symphony performing multiple movements.

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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