Looking around, one could quickly begin to believe in doppelgangers. Like Wayne Rooney and Shrek or Tom Brady and Giselle Bündchen or Gary Busey and an angry otter, the lines become blurred. Therefore we must look to the individual merit for definition.
A perfect instance of superficial doppelgangers is Stockholm’s Billy Momo. At times reflecting an Elbow-like collective, at others a Tom Smith voice, hell, overall an almost Swedish decoded persona, the septuplet would have even Barry Allen believing he’s gone and screwed up the timeline.
That is until he really spent time with Seven Rivers Wild.
The latest release from Tomas Juto, Oskar Hovell, Tony Lind, Mårten Forssman, Oscar Harryson, Christopher Anderzon, and Andreas Prybil, via Mo’ Better Music, is a dreamy assembly of twelve remarkable songs, each as full of character as the next.
Like wandering through an abstract brightly colored, steampunk fantasy world, stumbling across a precious gem, Seven Rivers Wild converges at an apex of stunning musical landscapes speckled with haunting lyrics. The gaping mouth of high energy pours out over complex, yet smooth, constructs that are like a Gorillaz video come to life. Fuzzy distorted licks meet dance beats in the opening “Forget Everything,” which dips into a nightmarish whimsy of “Following Me Following You” to open the record that is too encompassing to be rock, but too talented to call itself pop. Yet, pop stylings rears its head with “Choosing The Chosen Ones” before spiraling into the Waits-meets-Albarn-esc, metallic dungeons of the title track. It has it all. Tightly laid instruments pair nicely in a compilation larger than any seven musicians; larger than any album sleeve could contain. As one track becomes a doorway to the next I find myself drawn into the world of Billy Momo. I find myself becoming more and more addicted to the strength and personality of this record. It is imaginative while remaining strikingly honest.
Seven Rivers Wild is a deceptive record that becomes deeper with every run. The lines of Billy Momo are blurred in the most captivating way, not by a resemblance or brazen association to another band, but by their own construct. So for those who may be quick to dismiss this doppelganger appearance I suggest, no, I implore, you to spend some time with the record. You won’t be sorry.
Greg is a co-founder and regular contributor of Nanobot Rock.
