There is something antique in you and your ways...

Dunno if anyone remembers, but I got myself rather caught out a few months ago over a release by Additional Moog, one of my favourite discoveries and the first band ever to feature on these pages.

Additional Moog

Without warning, an album called Lost Engines turned up on Emusic, and I remember berating myself furiously for not knowing it was coming up. Anyway I snagged it and although I liked it I couldn’t say it enjoyed an extended run on the old iRiver. Well, I’ve just received a copy of what I think is the official Additional Moog debut, Thirty Three and a Third, on Fight This Generation Records, which amounts to the UK release. Or something.

Actually, the press release that came with it, says that the Lost Engines album was cobbled together from early demos by Lost Cat Records in the US. And I can see it, this version has a fair few songs I already knew from the Lost Cat record, and from downloads, but it’s noticeably more polished, and for my money all the better for it.

There are some excellent songs here; including the one I think I picked out last time, a song called “Alaska” which has a great melody, some sad, sad lyrics and the sort of fragile and soulful solo on some sort of electronic gadget (moog?) that belies their reputation as being unplugged, Americana types. I’m posting it here alongside the Lost Cat version, which is still good but not a patch on the newer version. I’m also posting a song called Four Track Soul which I did post originally but which has gone dead since then, and deserves another outing I feel.

Alaska (Thirty Three and a Third version)
Alaska (Lost Engines version)
Four Track Soul

Additional Moog are playing a few dates around the country (see their Myspace page) and then a mini tour of the States, and I’d’ve thought they’d go down well there.

All the best, fellers.