You Will Go To The Moon is the 1997 album from the quirky Canadian pop band Moxy Früvous. It was produced by Bottom Line Records and distributed by BMG. It totals forty one minutes and forty six seconds in length and features thirteen songs. It was produced by the band and Stephen Traub.
The sound of Moxy Früvous, of which this album is a prime example, is pointed, witty lyrics on top of catchy pop music. Their style is probably most comparable to bands such as They Might Be Giants, XTC, Eddie From Ohio, and Barenaked Ladies. One highly distinct aspect of their music is their use of vocal harmonization, which is featured on many of their tracks.
The most notable feature of this album is a recurring theme of negativity towards the United States, especially towards the near-arrogant "we are number one; everything else is secondary" that many Americans are perceived to have by members of other nations. This theme runs strongly through several tracks.
Another noticeable feature about this album is the wide variety of styles used, from the barbershop quartet style of the title track to the Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles sound of The Incredible Medicine Show to the distorted guitars, mangled riffs, and sort of a boy-band-like vocal style on Michigan Militia. There's almost assuredly something you'll like on this album, but given the wide range, there's also almost an assurance that there will be something you won't like.
The album opens with the aforementioned Michigan Militia (3:18), a tale of love from a new member of the well-known fringe militia group. Again, as already stated, this song has a lot of distorted guitars, mangled riffs, and sort of a boy-band-like vocal style. The lyrics have a strong anti-American undercurrent, almost as though such fringe groups are representative of America as a whole. The song itself is quite catchy, with a great hook that sneaks in between your ears and stays there.
Get In The Car (2:36) uses a healthy dose of vocal harmonization to tell the tale of a guy with a souped up old car and how it relates to his often-messed up relationships with females. This is much more straightforward pop than the original; no distorted guitars and stuff here, just some harmony, a bit of ordinary guitar, and some drums.
The third track, I've Gotta Get A Message To You (3:58), is a song about being left at the altar. The vocals are done as a duet and are very low-key, especially during the verses; it sounds like a lot of the better mellow 1970s pop music.
Lazlo's Career (4:13) is pure psychedelic folk-pop straight out of the late 1960s. This sounds like something The Youngbloods might have done; it's about the expansion of consciousness and the need to be happy and be together. The slightly distorted harmonized vocals are very unusual, as are the bizarre lyrics ("The cat is phat" is repeated countless times in the song), but it clicks, making it one of the better songs on the disc.
Sahara (3:50) has sort of an Arabian feel to it, a theme that would be revisited again later in the album. The music is very subtle and the lyrics are the tired ramblings of a half-crazy man who has spent too long in the desert. The effect is quiet and subtle in the middle of the album, a lot like Within You Without You on Sgt. Pepper.
The melancholy of the middle of the album continues with the very mellow Lee (3:37), a song with very poetic lyrics about a couple taking the lover's leap. The very soft backing vocals and string section makes this song quite good, but very melancholic.
The next song is a sign that the album is about to become lively again. No No Raja (2:57) is a more lively Arabic-style song than Sahara; this one is about the desire to go back to a dangerous woman once the singer has torn himself away from her. The lyrics have a strong erotic twinge, something which is rather unusual for the band.
One of the best tracks on the disc is next, The Incredible Medicine Show (3:48). It sounds quite literally as though it belongs on Sgt. Pepper; it is very strongly reminiscent of Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite if it were mixed with a lot of the other songs on the album. It is very catchy music inspired by one of the greatest albums of all time; in my opinion, it is the high point of the album.
Your New Boyfriend (2:04) is a very upbeat guitar-heavy pop song done in an early 1960s Beach Boys-esque style. It lyrically tells the tale of a girl with a boyfriend that is an extreme right-winger. The guitar sounds like a mix of surf guitar and Buddy Holly-esque 1950s pop, making the song have a strong retro feel about it.
The following is sort of a novelty track, Kick In The Ass (2:18), about wanting to give everyone who annoys you in an average day (a bad baggage handler, a telemarketer, and so on) a kick in the ass. It's quite amusing and can put a smile on your face after a long day.
Boo Time (2:25) is a percussion-heavy track with a style almost bordering on swing about tossing aside the demands of modern life and going back to a caveman style of living; it's sort of an anti-consumerism rant as well. As with many percussion-heavy tracks, it's easy to find yourself tapping your toe or humming along when hearing it.
Love Set Fire (4:25) is marked by a heavy accordion dragging along in the background, almost pulling the song along with it. The song is about how love can change everything, but it somehow still sounds downbeat, maybe aided by the accordion.
The closer is the title track, and it ends this song with one of its best songs. You Will Go To The Moon (2:12) is a barbershop quartet-style track about pioneering the moon and (sadly) making it a carbon copy of Earth, but boy, won't it be great along the way? This song really shows off the vocal talents of the group on an amusing track that ties together this diverse album.
If you like a wide variety of pop music styles, especially music with humor, this album is for you. Its strengths are diversity, humor, and harmony. It is unfortunately out of print in the United States, but it can quickly be obtained by import from Canada with just a bit of effort.