Moonlight Desires Review
There’s a craze alive and well today on youtube. Covers of covers of covers. It seems to me like too many people are getting popular based off of their versions of original music from the 80’s through today. My mentality used to be, “that’s not fair. Kids are making a solid living doing stuff others already did.” Now that I put some thought into it, I get it. Covers are fun and some are super good nowadays. It all boils down to personality. Well, I stand firm in my belief that the popularity of many of the younger crowd in their teens and early twenties wouldn’t be near as popular if they were physically unattractive but society hasn’t graduated from that yet.
Now, I’m pretty interested in hearing how others put their own spin on classics. Sure, they’ll get likes instantly from the familiarity but some bands really make them sound new and fresh. That's what makes me lust after Moonlight Desires.
Their album, Just The Hits: 1981-1985, hit the masses in September of 2017 and infects the senses with some of the most memorable modern takes I’ve heard yet. They manage to find the right songs, ones that would actually sound good in a modern rock setting and take advantage of the original power of each. I swear, these sound so modern that I may not have known they were covers!
Track Listing:
1. A Criminal Mind (3:43) (Gowan)
2. Sunglasses At Night (2:56) (Corey Hart)
3. Out of Touch (3:17) (Hal & Oates)
4. Hungry Like The Wolf (2:59) (Duran Duran)
5. Young Turks (3:51) (Rod Stewart)
6. Bettie Davis Eyes (3:01) (Kim Carnes)
7. Holding Back The Years (3:31) (Simply Red)
8. Valerie (3:15) (Steve Winwood)
9. Promises Promises (3:03) (Naked Eyes)
10. Something About You (2:50) (Level 42)
11. The Power of Love (4:38) Frankie Goes To Hollywood)
In this lineup some weren’t recognizable until I heard the song itself. Only two were songs I’m not sure I’ve ever heard before. But nearly every one of them were head-bob worthy and I sat nearly dumbfounded. I couldn’t do more than just sit, vibe and be impressed. The band really knows how to make party/anthem type styles out of each and I knew I must see these Canadians in concert someday.
On one end of the shovel:
With almost all of these songs slamming my senses with power, arranged in real rock beauty and pulling no punches I’m not sure I’ve heard these covers done better. I also like that they weren’t over produced, allowing the simple riffs and melodies to shine. Trevor Ziebarth’s vocals seemed to have such a range that it didn’t feel out of place with any of the tracks.
On the other end of the shovel:
If you weren’t born or grew up in the 80’s you might not be as impressed as I am. There’s no way I can possibly know if my memories of these great tunes had an impact that would make me biased towards the band. As such, some may turn away at the idea that these are "80's pop covers" especially if they're in the frame of mind I once was in.
How deep can I dig this?
Being a fan of nearly all of these originals was a win from the start. Couple that with Moonlight Desires ability to produce punchy, modern sounding rock with strong vocals and leaving the melodies intact and this is a winner! Since I can’t tell if my familiarity makes me biased towards praise, some may pass it by. But I can’t imagine why with covers being such a craze nowadays. And how can one not love Something About You no matter how it’s covered? I have no choice but to dig Moonlight Desires Just The Hits: 1981-1985 a 9 out of 10 feet deep!