The only thing on Spun that immediately gives away the heritage of Moa Bones, the one-man band of Greek musician Dimitris Aronis, is the title of its fifth song, ‘Skopelitis’, an instrumental ode to a Greek-American guitarist Nicky Skopelitis. Otherwise, the twang of acoustic guitars, the slightly distorted organ-like keyboards and salt-of-the-earth type vocals and story telling would make you believe that Moa Bones was the product of an American heartlander. So what must it say when some of the best Americana-tinged folk music of recent memory is coming from Greece?
Evoking images of dusty roads and log cabins with dogs resting on the porch beneath the summer heat at nearly every turn, Spun‘s bluesy guitars, complemented by Aronis’ clear lyrical talents,…
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…are ever effective at painting a scene, both normal and off the wall. ‘Take It All Away’, with its echoey vocals and oddly spacey blues guitars, could almost perfectly soundtrack a futuristic western. Meanwhile, the washboard scratches, emotive harmonica and foot-tapping rhythm of ‘Hey’ seems to make it an ideal tune for a family reunion BBQ off in the woods.
But while Moa Bones’ greatest successes often come from his emulation of American folk music, it also can serve as his greatest hindrance. At times, it feels like much of what Aronis is trying to do is copy that style as much as possible, rather than use it as an inspiration for his own creations. Certain elements of the instrumentals, namely the aforementioned washboard, feel like they were pulled from a hokey guide to making folk music. In some cases, it feels like the only stereotype not deployed is blowing into a jug. Every song on Spun is enjoyable and makes for good listening, but that does not mean every track is particularly inspired either.
With that admittance, Spun is still the creation of a very talented man. And though Aronis is 34 years old, this is only the second record of his career as Moa Bones. So, with any luck, Spun is merely the precursor to something great from this burgeoning artist. This record proves that he has sure got the sound down pat. Now, it is just time for him to fill in the details with something a little more compelling.