What does it tell you when a pivotal label such as Sub Pop (that brought us, after all, one of the most self-destructive and successful rock bands in the history of alternative music: Nirvana) now releases music with religious undertones from an artist who couldn’t be further away from the aforementioned? Well, we all grow old, ay?
Daniel Martin Moore’s second album ‘In the Cool of the Day’ is a calm, meditative acoustic album that sits comfortably somewhere between folk, bluegrass and ragtime. It would be easy to dismiss the music as reactionary, as Moore simply seems to block out anything past, say, 1948; I mean, even label mates Fleet Foxes present as crazy futurists by comparison. What you can’t dismiss, however, is the fact that he’s good at what he’s doing. All the songs on ‘In the Cool of the Day’ are well crafted, arranged and executed. Sparsely instrumented, Moore leaves his songs enough space to breath and focuses on what’s obviously dearest to him - the purity of his music and his message.
While songs like Dark Road, O My Soul and Closer Walk With Thee all feature full acoustic instrumentation, other songs (e.g. opener All Ye Tender Hearted and It Is Well With My Soul) are simply carried by Moore’s soft voice over sparse acoustic guitar. While most of ‘In the Cool of the Day’ is upbeat and cheerful, the title track itself is an atmospheric, sombre yet beautiful piano ballad.
You might have noticed already from the song titles that Daniel Martin Moore’s message mainly rotates around love, God, and finding fulfilment in Christianity. Although it may be natural for him to sing about issues divine (given his upbringing in rural Kentucky), and although all traditional American music is firmly rooted in religiosity and gospel, this album leaves me a tad untouched. I wonder how his music will translate in more secular countries, like the UK, where people only go to church once a year on Christmas - just to drink themselves into a stupor afterwards.
‘In the Cool of the Day’ could have done with more steam now and then, perhaps letting loose of its polite modesty, but for the time being - and with the weather outside turning London into Siberia - I enjoy this album in a cosy and warm surrounding with a glass of mulled wine. I’m just not sure whether Moore would approve of that.