REVIEW: The Moles - Flashbacks and Dream Sequences: The Story of the Moles

We welcome you to the wonderland that is the musical genius of Richard Davies' work as The Moles.  It is a tribute to Davies broad palate that writers invoke as comparisons artists as diverse as The Bats, The Chills, Mercury Rev, Guided By Voices and The Flaming Lips.  It is wide-ranging, lo-fi pop that shouldn't be approached with expectations, but rather a open mind to be taken where Richard wants to take you.  The delightful music is collected in Flashbacks and Dream Sequences: The Story of the Moles from Fire Records.  With 35 tracks over 2xCD or 2xLP +2xCD, it covers The Moles' two albums, Untune the Sky and Instinct, as well as other songs

Davies formed the original iteration of The Moles in the late '80s in Sydney, Australia, where they recorded Untune the Sky.  They moved to New York, and then London.  By '94 the original line-up disbanded.  Davies moved to the United States, and continued The Moles as a solo project, recording Instinct and other records with the help of such able friends as Hamish Kilgour of The Clean.  This later work displays the evolution from a more punk approach to the chamber pop Davies created later in his career in Cardinal.

This set was a 2014 Record Store Day release, but copies remain available.  There have been other collections, but this is the only one that contains all songs and retains the original order of tracks.  Long-time fans likely will consider it essential, but it delight any indie pop fan.

"Bury Me Happy" shows the band's New Zealand influences --


The lead track from Untune the Sky will resonate with fans of Guided by Voices --






Psychedelic "What's The New Mary Jane" was an attempt to write what a supposed lost Beatles tune would sound like --






Fire Records page for album