New Jersey rockers Midnight Mosaic are full of surprises in the 10-track ‘Fire Work.’ Each song it seemed would take a certain path, only to find that the songs had twisting and unrelenting curiosities. After a few listens to each track, the comparisons to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, early Ugly Kid Joe and even Nigel Rogers result in a fun-filled package.
While listening to “Right to Die” I felt like the mood was going to be a completely different direction. The path I thought the song would take could have been more like a late 90s rock/early 200s rap rock (POD, Limp Bizkit, etc.) I was dead wrong! This song has a contagious chores. The bass line and the guitar orchestrations are grimey, eclectic and complicated. The vocals are dramatic and reminded me of Ugly Kid Joe’s rants.
“Spotlight” is still lingering in my head. Juxtaposed to this urban, soulful rhythm music bed is a stunning harmony. The bass line in this track reminded me of Nigel Rogers, and possibly “Friends of Mine” from Duran Duran.
The standout tracks for me are “Old School” (killer guitar work here) and “Amnesty.” There’s just a solid funk base in these tracks, meshed with a tangible ‘togetherness.’ This band is tight and not even a fraction of air or mistakes gets between the notes. They have successfully created this amazing sense of fun (that I’m sure is even crazier live in concert) on record.
Be sure to listen to all the tracks of the 10 on ‘Fire Work.’ They all give off special fireworks of music. The lyrics can be tough to keep up with and I found myself drifting off with the bass guitar most of the tracks, but overall, I’m pretty stoked to have this collection added to my musical library. Solid A for Jersey’s Midnight Mosaic.
Interesting hooks, daring bass lines, explosive percussion and dramatic vocals are just some of
