An over-saturated Polaroid. Dreamy, desert-fried blues. Death Moth inhabit a world that's both mysterious yet infinitely familiar, bridging gaps between rock and country and soft-psychedelia that were always there, just not completely obvious. These are the kind of tunes that stand ready against late spring storms, apocalyptic clouds rolling over some mountain somewhere and crest right up against your stupid, feeling heart.
We've heard something like this before, when Death Moth's June West played Total Fest years ago with the stellar Julie & The Wolves. West is a sometime-Missoulian who's returned intermittently, recruited some serious fellow travelers (Travis Sehorn and Best Western's Dave Martens play on Death Moth's True Blues) and delivered some incredible shows that feel as equally momentous as they do effortlessly casual. Death Moth is a treat that I'm lucky to say we get to see again, this time at Total Fest XIV.
NY-by-way-of-Seattle's Mega Bog has morphed into a heavy-hitter of what this particular listener has termed the "elegant English psych pop underground" that really lives in no place, assaults your threshold for whimsy, and has so far produced nothing but amazing songs.
Erin Birgy has brought her 'Bog to Missoula on more than one occasion in the last two years. Once at the ZACC joined by Punishment/Free Music, and a couple other times with IJI (who are totally playing Camp Daze this year, btw). Every time has been a dream. I'm worried (not really) about geeking out or alienating some of the more "hardcore" Total Bros here because Mega Bog references a lot of the things I thought only record store owners or dudes that lived alone with their cats cared about: Kevin Ayers, Nico's "difficult music," woodwinds. There's a saxophone all over her most recent record and it's glorious. I can tell you one thing for sure and I know that it's true. Mega Bog rules and Missoula and the world is lucky to have her. Hell, we're more than ecstatic she's playing Total Fest this year.
