MOUSTACHE PRAWN - Erebus

As children, we often had fun with games invented on the spot and stories born of pure imagination, creating places and characters so improbable and so perfect that they stayed etched in memory until harsh reality arrived to break that precious, colorful spell. The task of Moustache Prawn, a trio from Puglia now at their second album, is to recover those colors and fantastical places forgotten by the mind but not by the heart, where anything is possible and pure fun marries the most vivid imagination. So it is that, somewhere between the homespun sweetness of Wes Anderson's films and the dazed histrionics of Daniel Johnston, “Erebus” comes to life, a concept album that tells the odyssey of three slaves trying to save the world from a terrible cataclysm.

The music of Moustache Prawn carries all the carefree charisma of their stories, starting with the wacky instrumental ideas (they've used bins, brushes, homemade synths and who knows how many pots stolen from mom), whether in delicate, acoustic moments steeped in boundless lightheartedness, or in wild dance-party eruptions drenched in powerful drums and distorted bass. But, no small matter, all the effort and passion poured into the lyrics (written in English) find in this “Erebus” a bond with the music that is remarkably balanced and cohesive.

But these guys are undoubtedly seduced by the fizziest rock and funk rhythms. Right from the opening of “Kerguelen” and “Something is Growing”, all the band's grit and electric potential comes through, followed by the lopsided, playful “Animals”.

The trio are also remarkably skilled at handling the softer melodic registers: the arpeggiated vocals of "Eating Plants" and the dreamy folk of "The Lantern" absorb the best lessons of Fleet Foxes, caressing the melodies with delicate harmonies and introducing us to strange new creatures. It's all held together by the storyteller's voice of guitarist and singer Leo Ostuni, always in sync with the rhythmic and instrumental drive skilfully orchestrated by bassist Ronny Gigante and drummer Giancarlo Latartara.

The British influence of early Arctic Monkeys shines through entirely in the furious "Mountaintop", while the best of Talking Heads comes to the fore in the funky "Breakdown" and (above all) "Polar Bear", probably the most fun track on the album.

There's also hit-worthy material in the tender ballad "Goodbye Zero", a gripping moment of intimate poetry touched by drops of nostalgia, which gives way to "Waterquake", their hardest track, which also marks the end of the three slaves' ordeal.

With the closing "Natural Habitat" the Apulian trio reaches the peak of their style: the longest track in their arsenal manages to showcase every facet of their sound, narrating the beautiful conclusion of a natural landscape finally free from contamination by wicked men of science (or power) unable to perceive all the wonders nature has to offer. It is without doubt also the melodic epiphany of the record: structured like a mini-suite, the track starts out as gentler folk-rock and builds up to a joyous surge of power in its happy ending.

What's striking about this Moustache Prawn is their pure and simple sincerity. Their record wins you over not so much through exasperated formal refinement in the lyrics or experimental research in the musical composition, but through a fresh, youthful spirit, capable of dusting off the smiles buried beneath our thoughts, which are at times far too serious and grown-up.

What matters to them is having fun, and they succeed brilliantly, making the most of every resource at their disposal. And that suits us just fine.

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19/03/2016