Herman Dune - Strange Moosic

Swiss / Swedish two-piece Herman Dune have been central figures in the antifolk scene for years now, putting out albums that marry the classic songwriting of 60’s and 70’s mainstream folk with a similar simple, unaffected lyricism to that practiced by fellow antifolk stalwart Jeff Lewis. For ‘Strange Moosic’ (the first album to be released via the band’s own label, also called ‘Strange Moosic’) Herman Dune have added a certain sheen in places while staying true to their stylistic palette.

Opening with a shimmering guitar reminiscent of U2’s ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’, ‘Tell Me Something I Don’t Know’ kicks things off nicely (if you’re yet to check out the Funny or Die-sponsored, John Hamm-starring video then it’s well worth a look) without quite dragging you in completely. ‘Ah Hears Strange Moosic’ works a little better, coming over all Neil Young and showcasing the band’s ability to craft beautiful, though almost sombre, pop songs. ‘Where Is The Man’ takes a slightly darker turn, bringing to mind Dylan circa ‘Time Out Of Mind’ before things get a little bouncier with ‘Lay Your Head On My Chest’ (‘Let me drive the car yo, And play good music on the stereo, From this town to the next, Lay your head on my chest’).

The album carries on in a similar vein, signposting the work of their idols (and some contemporaries), whether it be on the Beatles do Afrobeat ‘Monument Park’, the Silver Jews style country of ‘In The Long Long Run’ or the straightforward Velvet Underground rip-off of ‘Your Love Is Gold’. The problem that emerges is that they occasionally stray the wrong side of the dividing line between referential and derivative. There are some great pop songs here but at times when listening to ‘Strange Moosic’ you do find yourself playing the game of ‘Who are they pretending to be now?’ That’s not to say that this is a bad album, at times it’s very good, but it does make you wish that they’d spend less time aping others and more developing their own sound. As a good rather than great Herman Dune album, ‘Strange Moosic’ rarely hits the heights reached in their 2007 album ‘Giant’.