Additional Details

Additional details

Been Together Since: 2007

Sounds Like: Jangly poppy goodness

Members

Nicholas Cody -- bass
Andrew Lee -- guitar
Zahira Gutierrez -- vocals, keyboard
Justin Martinez -- drums
Cody Swann -- vocals, guitar

MP3S

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Cake

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Skin Collision Past

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Fruit Tea

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Spanish & Jazz

Audio Interview

Discography

Diamonds For Constellations EP, 2008
Microscopic Metronomes EP, 2009

More

• The Wild Moccasins release Skin Collision Past this Friday
• 29-95's favorite Houston albums of the decade, part four
• Moccasins enter the wild
• Wild Moccasins live from Joe Mathlete's living room
• Wild Moccasins tour diary
• Wild Moccasins tour diary: Cheeseburgers
• Wild Moccasins tour diary: Seeing Michael Stipe
• Wild Moccasins tour diary: Thoughts on Dairy Queen

Where To Buy

• Sound Exchange
• Sig's Lagoon
• Cactus
• Domy

Review

Wild Moccasins songwriter, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Cody Swann prefers to keep things vague when discussing the band’s zippy new EP, Microscopic Metronomes.

"I really like to leave the listener with their own interpretation of the song, as cheesy as that sounds," he says.

Beyond that, Swann will only say that his fledgling group, which has been together for a little more than a year, is "influenced by pop past, present and future."

Whatever the driving force, the Wild Moccasins occupy a quirky local niche that includes fellow bands the McKenzies, News on the March and Young Mammals. Think of it as escapist indie-pop.

Microscopic Metronomes’ five tunes are buoyed by jangly guitars, bouncy vocals and all-around cuteness. There’s real collaboration here from Swann, vocalist Zahira Gutierrez, bassist Nick Cody, drummer Andrew Ortiz and guitarist Andrew Lee. You can hear each member take a moment in the spotlight amid the twists and turns of Shiny Strings.

It’s not always immediately clear, however, what story the lyrics are telling. They’re often more thoughts than ideas, but each moment captures snapshots of life and the complexities of boy-girl relationships. (The disc was recorded by Chris Ryan at Dead City Sound, whose roster also includes Bring Back the Guns, Fatal Flying Guilloteens, Jana Hunter, the Jonx and Something Fierce.)

My Favorites Die starts like a casual campfire sing-along but quickly kicks into full instrumentation. The joyful instrumentation and "da-da-da" choruses belie the urgent lyrics.

"Three verses, three different people — all with the same problem, but different facets of it," Swann says.

Standout Spanish & Jazz incorporates neither into its four-plus minutes. Instead, it rides a moody, alt-country groove. Gutierrez does sweet, subtle work here, and she has the kind of chirpy, girlish appeal that makes indie-pop icons.

Swann says Fruit Tea is for "anybody having a quarter-life crisis." On the surface, it’s a lovely Swann-Gutierrez duet. The real-life couple has an endearing chemistry here and during Mailman. They manage warm-and-fuzzy harmonies and still allow each other some solo sparkle.

"I see you/In a different light now," Gutierrez confesses. It’ll warm your heart.

-- Joey Guerra | January 15, 2009