OU is a new column here at NDFY, where we’ll highlight the cream of the underground crop in cities around the country. These bands are filling rooms and selling records in their hometowns without much blog love or too many out-of-town jaunts. So talented jobbers and dabblers alike, we salute you.
Name: CRACKLIN MOTH
Domicile Location: CHICAGO, IL
Catalog: Redbird EP (2005), forthcoming LP My Heart Is Leaking (2007)
Accolades: Much love from persnickety Chicago Sun-Times scribe Jim DeRogatis, packed local shows, talented lineup of the city’s strongest musicians.
There’s been a subtle shift in Chicago’s independent music scene over the past year. As bands like The Ponys, The Changes, and Bound Stems are out of town more often in accordance with their newfound national attention, other hardworking bands are stepping up to establish themselves as the foundation of the city’s new music community. One of the leaders of this pack is Cracklin Moth, who has built a following on the strength of a critically acclaimed 2005 EP, and a propensity towards great pop songwriting with a poignant undertone. Throw in some buoyant twang to keep the feet tapping, and the accessible appeal of Cracklin Moth begins to take shape.
Frontman Matt Ammerman hails from the green hills of Kentucky, and the rolling terrain of his native state seems to shape his tunes with an easygoing loveliness. Moth’s got hooks to spare, and even the most jaded cool kids can’t keep their heads from bobbing along to the live show. Ammerman’s got a crack gang of players behind him, including pedal-steel whiz Rocco Labriola and rhythm section-about-town Griffin Baron and Shawn Rios.
The beauty of Cracklin Moth is that every song sounds familiar, yet there’s a freshness in the performance that reminds the listener that this band is fixin’ to be a big part of the future of pop music. Think the aural equivalent of your favorite sweater, the one that never loses your shape no matter how long it’s in the back of your closet, but always makes you feel like a million bucks when you put it on.
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Listless in 2007: The year’s best Chicago releases | No Dessert For You // Dec 13, 2007 at 12:14 am
[…] Cracklin’ Moth/My Heart Is Leaking (self-released) - It’s sad to report, but the on-again, off-again togetherness of this tight alt-country pop band seems to be permanently off. It’s a shame, because I believe they were truly *right there,* and Matt Ammerman’s voice has a grain running through it that’s both desperate and the most beautiful thing you’ve heard all day. […]
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