Once in a while one hears an album release that makes an enduring impression on the senses. It may be a release that is of a mood or genre that is pertinent to the listener at that moment or it may be a release that on hearing for the first time makes one consider what frame of mind the artist must have been in to produce such music. Moji Moji‘s “Toda Esta Naturaleza Es Impredicable” falls firmly into the second category. The title track itself sifts gently into the listener’s consciousness, teasing with sound asides before the central motif takes over. The phrasing has a naivety that is almost disarming before the sound of a horse neighing breaks through the mood. Yes, “the sound of a horse neighing”. The momentum gently picks up but that childlike charm never leaves. There is an almost hauntological element to the music that takes the listener back to a memory that is not quite established. ‘El Sapo’, with the sound of crickets chirruping in the mix, is again evocative of a time almost forgotten. The ambiance remains largely unchanged on ‘A 1506 Km De Distancia’ despite the introduction of tenderly repetitive motifs that are reminiscent of the minimalist music of composers such as John Adams and Steve Reich. Guitar, keyboards and subtle percussion keep the music buoyant whilst the tunes themselves simmer organically throughout their duration. Music box samples and an engagingly abrupt “stop technique” to the flow of the music characterises ‘Los Cuentos Del Muelle Del Tigre’ before ‘Grande Finale’ brings the album to a close in a slightly more stirring manner, but not at any time losing that feeling of music that may have been heard many decades ago and is now only being remembered in fragments.
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