Little before we step into the first month of the summer, the hunger for vacation plans, long walks under the sun and new music gets stronger by the day. And what a true blessing it is to be alive and have all of the above in a world that’s going through such crisis. Far from this drama, today we are breaking down Muzaq for Frogs, a Moon Musiq collection of tracks that pays tribute to the 1984 ‘Decoder’ film. Here’s a brief overview by IMDB: A burger shop employee discovers that by changing the background music from pleasantly calming to industrial "noise" music, he can incite riots and a revolution against the looming power of the government. Without further ado…
‘Kill The Guard' by Meat Flash comes all dark and grungy, with decisive Drum n Bass that promises an intense experience for the listener. The distorted, echoing vocals commanding ‘Kill the Guard’ create an almost anarchic setting that definitely goes hand in hand with the grinding instrumental, making this piece feel even more conceptual and well-though out. One highly rousing opening before the elusive ‘June-Yulie’ by Nena None appears like a renegade spirit that exists everywhere and nowhere, reverberating to eternity, flying at the speed of sound. The percussion here is reflecting that wondrous, uncatchable character and we are put in a trance of ever-changing beats and paces. There’s an old Ladytron flavor somewhere in there but it’s most likely a personal connection to one of my all-time favorite bands.
The second entry of Meat Flash, ‘Scandal at H Burger’ sounds just as restless and unsettling as ‘Kill The Guard’ but more like an interlude placed there to build suspense. This one manages to give birth to a virtual space where the listener can sit for a while and receive a load of information from their digital surroundings. A META scenario presented through sound only. An eerie mix of muffled melodies -modern and folklore-ish-, German dialogue and a techno kick announce Pigswill’s first track. ‘H Burger Induction’ is transforming throughout its 3.5 minutes leaving the listener with a sense of confusion, yet intrigued enough to stay and witness what is coming next. Interesting note here: The diversity of ‘H Burger Induction’ is given in a way that the track weirdly feels too abstract yet too orderly at the same time.
On the contrary, Masoklove’s ‘Good Puppy’ is a feel-good, chill piece that relies on a catchy yet elaborate melody, like a calculator trying to make music out of its algorithms and maze-like processes. An upbeat psychedelia that’s pop enough to make you dance and even try playing it on repeat. This probably makes the most fun moment of the album before we are transferred into a Belgian Techno festival through Pigswill’s ‘Cad Lad Mr. London’ where a powerful techno kick paves the road for the synths and edgy electronica to ‘walk’ on. Not much to say here other than the obvious turn that the album seems to be taking in its second half, going from free experimentation to a more digestible approach. But only until ‘Nothing Special’ comes to bravely turn it around and make everything more chaotic and messy than ever before. NOEYESFIEND make a one-time appearance that counts for three, putting a ton of nerve and anxiety in one lustful, disordered and festival-worthy piece of music, ecstatic enough to stand out in this body of work.
Most unexpectedly, Nena None is continuing the legacy of NOEYESFIEND bringing old ARCA vibes to the table. ‘God Telegram’ is all about harsh, obsessive electronica, violent enough to drive one crazy or kick the listener into another dimension. A highly memorable moment in Muzaq for Frogs for sure. After this undeniable storm of music we are left to rest in this ghastly space of absence through the highly atmospheric ‘They Hunger’ by Verona Suicide Cult. The listener gets the time to realize the state they are, enjoy the silence and prepare for the takeoff that comes in the form of the closing ‘Dream Machine’. This one may either catapult you to the end of the journey to think about what you just listened to or send you straight to the top track for another bumpy ride on this adventurous course of Moon Musiq.
All in all, Muzaq for Frogs is by all means an album that is hard to ignore. Despite its thematic character, meaning it’s a film-inspired album, it can keep the listener invested from the opening to the epilogue, exploring a number of fields genre-wise. It’s a journey made of noise, punk, electronica, touches of pop and ambient, all blended beautifully into a mysterious, abstract collage given through sound. This goes in the Sanctum’s most beloved category, the experimental-concept albums together with artists like Guinevere Q, Eye Catching Music and White Devil. Cheers!
Listen to Muzaq for Frogs here:
Information is like a bank. Some of us are rich. Some of us are poor with information. All of us can be rich. Our job, your job is to rob the bank. To kill the guard