The Moog III is an electronic synthesizer developed by Robert Moog in the mid-1960s. The first band to use this instrument on an album was the Monkees on their 1967 album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd. It can also be heard on the Beatles' Abbey Road. It's also known to be a staple in many popular songs of the 1980s. It's an instrument that, if used improperly, can become out of fashion faster than you can say ABBA.
The Mermaid Police, the Cleveland, Tennessee one-man-band, who just recently played at JJ's Bohemia here in Chattanooga, released a second album entitled 3 1/2 Stars earlier this year.
The brainchild of Jason Dooley, who writes and composes the lyrics and music, the Mermaid Police has a dizzying list of musical influences when it comes to his music, including ELO, the Beatles, Jeff Buckley, Vince Guaraldi, Grandaddy, Phantom Planet, Tear for Fears and Wilco.
The album starts out with chunky, electric guitar-driven rock, like its first two tracks, "Eagle Style" and Orange Juice Line Dance," then fades into the soft, dream-like synthesizers of "Icewalk" and "Head in the Cloud," a mix between Sgt. Pepper and Flaming Lips.
3 1/2 Stars offers trance-like gems that border the rave vibe, but pulls back just enough to be considered classic, not dated. The tracks are organized in such a way as to break up the monotony of the more mellow pieces. Just when you're about to fade into your own subconscious, Dooley's pop-rock guitar nudges you back to reality. "How it Falls" hearkens back to the Big Star glory days and Dooley's voice is that of a younger Alex Chilton
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In his past two years of touring, Jason Dooley has had help from various musicians, including Jason Campbell, Kevin Ray and John Watkins, among others. When it comes to the albums and his creatively-shot videos, though, Dooley does it all himself. And the Moog has never sounded so good.
Check out the Mermaid Police web site to buy 3 1/2 Stars or you can download a non-mastered copy for free.
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