The Moth Confesses – THE NEON PHILHARMONIC***

Brilliant Colours/Cowboy/The New Life Out There/Morning Girl/Midsummer Night/Little Sparrow/The Last Time I Saw Jacqueline/Morning Girl Later

The Moth Confesses was the debut album from the studio psychedelic pop group Neon Philharmonic. Their music has been described as baroque pop as exemplified by their US top twenty hit Morning Girl.

“This album is a rather cheerful experience from start to finish. The over-the-top baroque orchestrations do put a smile on my face, but the quality of each song isn't what it might be. This album features some of the most romantic styled pop music you'll probably ever hear, and Morning Girl may be one of the finest baroque/psychedelic pop songs ever written. It's so lovely. My biggest beef is that while some melodies are great some of the songs felt over-extended.”

“The Moth Confesses is one of the earliest 'rock operas' if the term can be fairly applied to a collection of songs based on a central theme. It tells the story of falling in love for the first time and the innocence that goes with it, the eventual break-up, with the lovers eventually seeing each other later under radically different circumstances.” “It's a stretch to call it rock. It is really more of a pop album. It almost classifies as easy listening because it is a very mellow sound. It's not a boring album, but other than a few good songs, it is not particularly interesting either.”

“I was looking for a melodic and light-psychedelic soft album. But this is just too plain boring and mellow. The compositions range from very radio-friendly and commercial to slightly better ones with at least a hint of light pop-psych. Don't expect a forgotten psychedelic masterpiece."

“Backed up by imaginative instrumental work, these songs were very different from the pop music that was prevalent in '69. Morning Girl made it to radio but, while it's a nice piece, it's surely the most mass market sounding cut on the album; there are other cuts which are much better, including the wistful and haunting The Last Time I Saw Jacqueline. My favourite is Brilliant Colours, though.”

“The songwriting is not instantly catchy, but after a few listens the songs prove to be really interesting, and the singer has a good voice with a style.”