IAN MOORE AND THE LOSSY COILS
El Sonido Nuevo
Spark and Shine Records
Ian Moore’s career has veered between rock-guitar master and artsy singer-songwriter, and this time his creative swerve has taken him toward the best sounds of mid-70s to late-80s U.K. pop rock. El Sonido Nuevo finds the Austin/Seattle songwriter working through his jones for Electric Light Orchestra, Rockpile, Brit glam bands like Roxy Music and Queen, and George Martin studio grandeur. It demonstrates beyond doubt that Moore has become the guitar-slinger badass everyone always predicted he would since his earliest prodigy days in Austin, when Stevie Ray comparisons ran rampant and painted Moore into a creative corner for a while. But Moore is definitely his own man these days, and this rocking set is as muscular as anything he’s done since his early releases. From the first Billy Bremner-like riff of opening scorcher “Secondhand Store,” everything — the playing, the harmonies, the Britsy studio effects — is done to the point of perfection. And delightful lines like “I feel like a vegan wearing a bacon robe” that just pop out of Mr. Moore’s mouth without the slightest bit of tongue-in-cheek are the icing on the cake. — WILLIAM MICHAEL SMITH
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