MOONRIIVR - “Blonde Hair Now”

It is not often that we feature a live recording on the blog, but when we caught this performance of MOONRIIVR playing “Blonde Hair Now” in a barber shop, we did not have much of a choice.

Seriously, this track is so wonderfully performed that we, at first, thought they were lip syncing. The tone of the guitar, the thickness of the bass, the new tricks we’ve learned for incorporating soft percussion– this work of art will enthrall you within the first ten seconds. The vocals and mood are slightly reminiscent of Lord Huron’s finer, more stripped-back work, which is what really brought it home for us.

This is a lesson in the way that craftsmanship will never lose its ability to trump studio wizardry. With just drums, bass, and guitar, the group utilizes glorious vocal harmonies to round out the sound. “Blonde Hair Now” has so much retro gusto that the world is going to need a new word for ‘vibe.’ And while we have yet to hear the studio version, this quartet has completely proven themselves with a Tascam 388.

If you need us, we’ll be watching this on a loop until they release something else.

-TM