Upon reading the press release from the Israeli born Ofer, I was more than a little perturbed by the phrase ‘ex-skateboarder’ that kept appearing. Imagining some sort of 3rd rate pop-skate-punk my hopes weren’t exactly sky rocketing. But like most things in this wonderful world, looks certainly deceived. What I and many others are presented with is a heartfelt, mellow trip into Ofer‘s world of longing, emotion and acoustic string plucking. And it is rather impressive.
Bridging the borders between emo, indie and folk isn’t an easy one, but the transition has been made to look seamless and the ten tracks are certainly a great showcase of the mans obvious talent. But, (You knew one was coming right?) it isn’t all sunshine and pie. At times, the album veers into slightly more ‘soft’ territory and shows a rather whimpering sound which makes Chris Carrabba look like Satan’s evil hardcore spawn. And when these rather flat efforts (‘On the Other Hand’, ‘Bittersweet Fate’) do take precedence on the album, it falters slightly. But fortunately there are more than enough present to pick it up and fling it in the right direction.
Opener ‘Submission’ is a crashing introduction to the album while the Saves the Day-esque melodies of ‘Your Reality’ also brighten ‘Short Story Long’ up. Amongst the bittersweet angst there is room for a more edgy Ofer to bring the tempo and mood to darkened lengths with ‘Time in a Bottle’ and the dank ‘Recipe’ showing more musical magic. Finding the right balance though is something which Ofer Moses may need to work on for future releases.
This is a clever album and needs repeated listens to really appreciate the sheer complexity of it all. For fans of Dashboard, or any other weepy emo for that matter, this will be right up your street, while those who just like relaxing to a bit of soft indie, will also find hidden charms. And to those who despise all the comparisons I have just made? You’ll hate it, but my advice to all is at least give it a chance.
Jay
www.ofermoses.com
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