Muuy Biien Age of Uncertainty

By Samir Shukla

Age of Uncertainty (Autumn Tone) is the third album from Athens, GA band Muuy Biien. It was recorded by David Barbe, a producer, sound twister and legend among indie rockers. The dozen songs are a potent mix of punk, krautrock, post-punk and bluesy darkwave. In the opening track "Moral Compass" the band and singer Joshua Evans weave a brooding and layered track that showcases their loose blend of guitar rock, which, this song especially, is reminiscent of the Birthday Party (Nick Cave's early band). The guitars throughout the album are controlled, but take off on their own when the song begs it. "The Clocks" is an especially dark number and evokes some of the best works of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds while remaining wholly original. "Mara" is a finger-snapping song lodged about midway through the album and changes the tempo while acting as a pivot for the remaining songs. "The Sound of a Trenchcoat" is a jazzy instrumental that could be a scene backdrop in a B&W film noir or even a David Lynch film. "Robbed" is a bluesy slow burner holding its own territory. The title track "Age of Uncertainty" opens with a sustained note and flows into echoed vocals and acoustic guitar that's got a psychedelic aura as it builds and fades away into the ether. "Skeleton Tissue" tosses keyboardish treatments around a bass line while the song is sung with spoken vocals reminiscent of Mark E. Smith and The Fall. Just after a few listens, Age of Uncertainty is, at this late in the year, elbowing its way into my top 25 recordings of the year.

Originally published in Creative Loafing Charlotte on December 7.

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