Though The Moons are hardly made up of the glitterati of British music, they have a couple of names of moderate note. As well as featuring Chris Ketley from the now defunct The Rakes, they are fronted by Andy Crofts, the keyboardist for Paul Weller. Indeed, the Modfather himself allowed The Moons to record Life On Earth in his studio. Unsurprisingly then, there is no shortage of reminiscence here, as the album sticks pretty rigidly to a 1960’s revival agenda of classic British pop-rock sounds.After mod-rock opener Don’t Go Changin’ has clearly signposted where we’re heading, Chinese Whispers creates the kind of backwards-looking anthem that would be unbearable in its derivativeness were it not such sing-along fun. Imagine The Fratellis covering The Bees and you’ll get the idea. Life On Earth’s lyrics often seem to have been pulled straight from the Oasis Big Book Of Hackneyed Lines & Obvious Rhymes, but it kinda works because the songs are harking back to an innocent pop age.
The problem with Life On Earth is that, by the end of the album, the lack of diversity is such that the fun of the opening few tracks has rather started to lag. Sure, there are two or three pop gems here, but one wonders if there is enough about The Moons to warrant prolonged interest. After all, this kind of thing has been done to death, resurrected and then done again. Does the world really need another Ocean Colour Scene? I think we all know the answer to that.
