Bob Moses (2023)

One Liner:  Chilly electro that sure seems out of place at ACL

Wikipedia Genre: Electronic, alternative, dance, deep house

Home: Vancouver now, but formed in NYC

Poster Position: 2 (5) 
Both Weekends.
Saturday.

Thoughts:  Last here in 2016, although I have no recollection.  I was conflating this with Moses Sumney and expecting something more soul/R&B.  Lots of Bob Moses entries in Wikipedia - a civil rights activist, an American football player, an American jazz drummer, an Aussie rugby player, and a musical duo from Vancouver.

Two dudes formed the group in Brooklyn, but both from the same Vancouver high school, and it sounds like they have gone back home. The group is named after the urban planner (although Wikipedia lists him as Robert Moses) who designed modern New York City (which is a cool factoid).  The old/original music is super chilled electronic stuff - the Spotify bio calls it "post club," which is a weird term, but I guess means the music you go home and smoke the dopes to after you leave the tight club party.  The tunes themselves kind of remind me of a Coldplay dub remix you would hear on 101X on Sunday morning's Chillville show.  This is all very outside of my musical zone - I've never even heard of the "Fans also like" on Spotify for this group.

They've got 5 studio albums (2015's Days Gone By and 2015's All in All, 2018's Battle Lines, 2020's Desire, and 2022's The Silence in Between), as well as some singles and remixes. The most popular track is, or course, not on any of those discs, because it is actually a song by something called Elderbrook, and just featuring Bob Moses.  "Inner Light" was from 2021.  51.3 million streams.

Cool video, and I actually like the song too.  I am totally captivated by those people spinning on that thing.  Their second-biggest streamer is from Days Gone By, "Tearing Me Up," which has 48.9 million listens.  Here is the radio edit.

Catchy tune, pretty relaxing, although I really can't imagine the vibe of watching this music in a live environment.  Seems like it would be good while you are waiting in line at the W to go to the bathroom, but in a huge crowd on a hot September afternoon?  Seems weird. Some of the sounds on these songs give me a Stranger Things theme song vibe too.  

So, these guys are not some nobody band no one has ever heard of who somehow made it to the 4th line of the poster, and their music is nice enough, but I don't get it as a big festival draw.  Here is one track I liked enough to look up from my work and bob my head a little.  This is "Talk," also from that first album.

Of note, it seems as though they have changed their schtick now though.  Here is there most popular track from their newest album, since we have been sticking to some of the older tunes for most of this.  "Love Brand New" has just over 10 million streams.

At first, that sounds like that Sting song that Juice Wrld sampled recently, but then kicks in with some 80's synth power thump action.  I feel like this might be on the radio right now too - it almost isn't EDM anymore, it's more like an alternative song.  So maybe they are leaning away from the old electro stuff and more for a real band thing (although that album has a lot of more traditional electro tunes on it).  Likely will not go for this.