The Crescent Moon Dogs - the conference

The Crescent Moon Dogs

The Conference
self-released; 2013

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

The Crescent Moon Dogs is a band from Bonaire, GA, who recently released a solid four-song EP called The Conference. It’s a straightforward rock/alternative EP that tips its hat to bands from the 90’s such as Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Filter and even hints of Soundgarden.  The songs don’t spew out originality but they are well written, have decent production and are pretty darn catchy. 

The first song on the EP “Needles & Thorns” doesn't waste much time before rocking out. In fact the song starts with the chorus as the singer Steven Bell delivers the lines “Needles & Thorns.” As the song progresses you can visualize the facial expressions on Bell as the vocal melody is dynamic and more often than not sounds like he is straining his vocals chords. What 90’s alternative anthem is complete without a guitar solo. The answer is none. No exception here as you get a couple of solos that shred before the song ends. 

“Golden Smile” contains a subdued, bass-driven verse that eventually succumbs to distorted, palm muted guitars and clean arpeggios. Once the chorus hits the band fleshes out the sound but doesn't go overboard. The band starts to flex its muscles a bit towards the end of the song. The complex timing and precision they display during the instrumental section was indeed impressive. 

“Evil Be” is a nice change of pace, which had a strong creative bass line that added a lot of substance to the song. The song has a pretty chill vibe but can’t help from getting heavy and ending with a bang. The cream of the crop is the last song entitled “Love & Progress.” Overall, the song was the most original and showed a band pushing themselves to get into new creative territory. This can be heard within the first minute of the song. They implement a number of riffs that feel like separate bursts of creative energy. Perhaps the most impressive part of the beginning of the song was the varied parts the drummer contributed which really drove the energy. 

The Conference is a solid EP that while it doesn't reinvent the wheel it has a couple of good tunes I can get down with. Fans of 90’s alternative rock will eat this up.

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