The Moles, the long-running Australian group led by Richard Davies (also of Cardinal), will release a new album, Composition Book on February 7 via Robert Pollard‘s Splendid Research label. Says Pollard of his friend and Cosmos collaborator, “Richard Davies is one of the last great songwriters on planet Earth. Every song on Composition Book is up there with his finest and so it’s no small feat that after 35 years of making beautiful records, this one is his best.”
The new single from the album is “Rattlesnakes, Vampires, Horse Tribes and Rocket Science,” that tips its hat to vintage rock n’ roll. “The song started with a broken little acoustic parlor guitar accompanied by a garden sprinkler – the guitar, bass and drums had to play to the sprinkler’s erratic tempo,” says Davies. “And we’re all still friends!!!” We’ve got the premiere of the video which sets the song’s lyrics to illustrative life. “For the video, the words were triaged by Micaela Delgado, who I’ve never met but is a wiz AND a waitress! The way I made the album allowed me to play guitar in ways I had not had the time to do before – the rhythm guitar has everything to do with The Sweet and Status Quo, but the electrics are ethereal/manic and have nothing to do with either. The meaning of the song is everything is process so you may as well get used to it.”
Watch the video, and listen to three other songs off the album, below.
The Moles will be on a short Northeast tour in February with fromer GBV member Tobin Sprout with his band Bevil Web, hitting Boston, Philly and DC before wrapping things up in Brooklyn at Union Pool on 2/15. All dates are below.
Composition Book
Feel Like a Dollar
Chimes
Alvin Hollis
Lost Generation
Since I Don’t Know When
Rattlesnakes, Vampires, Horse Tribes and Rocket Science
One Day
Tragedy
Had To Be You
Blow Yer Mind
Promised Land
The Moles LIVE (with Tobin Sprout With Bevil Web)
Wed 2/12 – Boston, MA @ Arts at the Armory
Thu 2/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Fri 2/14 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Sat 2/15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool