Moving Mountains

Though Foreword is technically the sophomore release from New York-based quartet Moving Mountains, in many respects—most auspicious of which is the title of the record itself—it seems like a debut. After all, the band’s criminally obscure 2008 debut full-length Pneuma was basically just an expansion of the demos the band’s primaries—Greg Dunn and Nick Pizzolato—had recorded in Dunn’s basement after school, demos that eventually found their way to long-running indie label Deep Elm. With its eclectic mix of guitar-driven, angst-ridden East Coast post-emo (Brand New, Thursday) and orchestral indie-rock instrumentation (trombones, xylophones, etc.), Moving Mountains has a visceral newness all its own. Foreword takes the formula found on Pneuma and expounds upon it; with track times pushing 10 minutes, the band, now fleshed out with a full lineup, does not hesitate to take lengthy instrumental diversions. While those who liked the more pop-oriented song structures of Pneuma might be initially disappointed in the sprawling, unconfined nature of Foreword, it is nevertheless palpable that Foreword marks the true beginning of a band whose sights are set on far loftier goals than three-chord pop-punk simplicity.