The Moho
Collective
‘Soma’
Self-Released
After almost a
decade of perfecting its live sound, Rochester art rock trio The Moho
Collective is now celebrating its third release. While more stripped down than
previous albums, “Soma” continues to expand its musical boundaries by exploring
the sonic possibilities offered in a mid-19th century church recording studio. The Moho Collective plans to release
more of these acoustic sessions from Mike Brown’s Temperamental Recordings in Geneseo, and “Soma” is the first in the series.
“Soma” mixes
instrumental rock with assorted genres such as world, blues, jazz, and more,
delivering a different spiritual journey for each listener. Guitarist Kurt
Johnson embraces Middle Eastern quarter-tones while drummer Ryan Barclay
juggles African polyrhythms, and bassist Justin Rister comes up with unexpectedly mesmerizing grooves.
Everything is accented by a wash of various orchestral timbres in songs like “Koya,” with the help of violinist Lauren Rister and Aaron Shewan on French
horn.
A collage of long
and winding meditations, “Soma” gives the listener a feeling of determination,
perseverance, and spiritual yearning. Enjoy more upbeat tunes like “Dogpatch”
or reflect in the transcendent echo pool of “Amber & Hazel.” The Moho
Collective has made another adventurous masterpiece that demonstrates its
creative exploration has no boundaries.
— BY KATIE HALLIGAN
This article appears in Nov 14-20, 2018.
