Album Review: Moon Taxi, Mountains Beaches Cities

Mountains Beaches Cities is the latest album from Nashville darlings, Moon Taxi. They are one of the most buzzed about bands around town, probably because the five members started playing together while attending local college Belmont University. Many twenty-somethings in Nashville know somebody who knows somebody in the band, thus earning them underground rock star status. What began as a better-than-average college band heavily influenced by jam gods like Phish has evolved into a studio-polished, indie rock band. Moon Taxi’s new release from their own 12^th South Label via BMG shows off their shiny new coat.

They’re following the trail blazed by other Nashville powerhouses, namely Kings of Leon. They aren’t breaking boundaries with Mountain Beaches Cities, but rather, carving out a space for themselves in the world of indie pop rock.

The familiar sounds from Moon Taxi’s 2011 album, Cabaret, are again present on the new release—hook driven harmonies, overdubbed vocals with a touch of reverb, and an occasional (insert usual instrument here)to keep it unique. The new album sounds like an extension of Caberet, which kick started their career, garnering thousands of new fans and attention from Paste Magazine.

Perhaps due to this approach, Mountain Beaches Cities is immediately likeable. The opening tracks “Running Wild,” “Morocco,” and “The New Black” are likely to stick in your head after the first listen, proving that Moon Taxi is ready to bear that bitter-sweet cliché: “radio ready.” The album goes a step further than a few accessible singles though. No fillers exist on Mountain Beaches Cities. From the slow build on “River Water” to the keyboard riffs on “Change,” every piece of this record is arranged like a solid pop album under the guise of rock.

The six-minute “Beaches” is the only song on the album that echoes Moon Taxi’s jam band days. Tyler Ritter’s drumming delightfully flirts with, but never becomes obnoxious. It’s ripe for a juicy live solo, which I don’t doubt Moon Taxi will deliver if you can catch them on tour.

The Moon Taxi members are talented musicians, and they know their way around the studio. The album was even produced by their guitar player Spencer Thomson. While the sound and mixing on Mountain Beaches Cities has become the norm in Nashville’s indie music scene, not the new, it’s still a meticulously made album worth checking out.

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Caroline McDonald

My first memory is of singing Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” quietly to myself during preschool naptime. Perhaps it’s because I’m from Nashville where an instrument lives in every home, but music has gripped me for as long as I can remember.

After dabbling in many parts of the music industry—recording studios, PR, management, labels, publishing—I’m expanding into music journalism because I’m yet to find anything more rewarding that finding and sharing new music.

A longtime sucker for girls with guitars, my musical taste unabashedly follows the songwriting lineage of Dolly Parton and includes Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, and Neko Case. But not to pigeonhole myself, my music love is big love that stretches from R.L. Burnside to Animal Collective to Lord Huron.

I’ve recently moved home to Nashville after living in Boston and Big Sur for several years. I’d forgotten how music pours onto the streets ten hours a day, seven days a week. I’m honored to share the creative explosion happening here. If your band is in the area or of the area, please reach out!