Mike Rimmer, Cross Rhythms Magazine
Cross Rhythms is the U.K.'s leading Christian music magazine.
This review appeared in Cross Rhythms Issue #55 (February/March 2000). It's Mr. Rimmer's review of Seven X and Fell in Love at 922 EP.
You could say that anybody who calls their band Moron, and then gives away the music for free, is asking for more than raised eyebrows. But then Bob Brown, the man behind Moron, clearly isn't just anybody! Although this is rock, there are many different flavours on both the album and EP. Let's begin with the EP whose title cut is a parody of the Starflyer 59 song and great fun! The opener "Take Courage" is good and loud with an insistent refrain of "Take courage/for I Am with you", and I love it because it's wonderfully left field. Generally, all of Moron's music is praise and worship songs, some more obviously than others. "Awaken Harp and Lyre" and "Not Be Silent" on the EP are obvious candidates with their psalm-like lyrics.
The "Seven X" album (pronounced seven times) is more of the same, with more worship shaped by Brown's quirky musical personality and vocal style. I love the energy of "Seven X" and the almost punk-like quality of "One and Only." These
recordings are far from perfect, but Moron are attempting to make a connection and create worship that
will appeal to anyone (like me) who just wants to discover music that is offbeat and left field. Moron
doesn't want to be a huge band, Bob Brown is simply doing what he wants to do in an unpretentious
manner! The fact that Moron is giving it away should encourage you to give it a stab! I think that God would say that this is definitely a joyful noise, and I think I just saw him smile. (Rating 6/10 for both)
This review appeared in Cross Rhythms Issue #61 (February/March 2001). It's Mr. Rimmer's review of Tree Hugger.
1 Corinthians 1:27 says, "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty." And that just about sums up Bob Brown! He's a fool for Christ because he makes unique worship music and then gives it away, yep he'll send it to you for free! (He just asks for a 1-pound coin to cover postage.)
Now, isn't that worth investigating? You bet! Especially as he makes very interesting worship music! A lot of the lyrics here are straight Scripture, the rest come from Bob's rather incredible fertile mind. Highlights? "Tree Hugger" is such a great image since it hijacks the new age focus of the expression and brings you to the cross. "Don't Be Like That Thief" has a serious message which Bob manages to totally disguise by throwing in some very funny asides. Trust me, it's worth getting this CD to hear what follows the line, "He could've hit his head and forgotten his Aramaic."
Some of this material appeared on previous Moron albums but this time around the recording quality is much improved, so one of my faves, "Take Courage," sounds even better! The same can be said for "I'll Sing To The Lord," which contains the immortal line, "While I have my being I'll sing to the Lord/While I have my Bobness I'll sing to the Lord."
The song "Fell in Love At 922" was the title track of a previous release and is a spoof of Starflyer 59's "Fell in Love at 22." It still amazes me that Jason Martin who wrote the song hasn't sued Bob Brown down to his boxer shorts. Perhaps Jason's just got a sense of humour! Don't be fooled by the sense of humour, this is worship music with a left-field feel. 19 songs and it's all your for a pound coin!
(Rating 8/10)
