On & Out

While touring for Colossal Small, Greg and Thom Moore also wrote a volume of songs—many of which had become live fan favorites. Following a 31-second introductory title track, their 2002 sophomore LP, On and Out, gathers the best of these tunes. Greg’s “Have You Seen Sorrow” leans hard on a John Lennon–style vocal delay as he coos over minor chords plucked out from an old electric guitar and minimal rhythm accompaniment. His “Tiny Bongs” does well to exemplify Greg’s knack for surreal imagery and his gift for letting listeners feel like he’s letting them in on his inside jokes. The song's dub-infused chorus is also as clever as his wordplay. But it's brother Thom’s pseudo-satirical socio-political lyrics in “You Open My Eyes” that serve as the album’s standout—it’s about a young liberal man falling in love with a right-wing conservative woman. “The Puppet” is another gem about a young boy’s crush on his schoolyard bully. As with all Moore Brothers recordings, the true magic (aside from some incredibly inventive songwriting) resides in their peerless sibling harmonies.