The Poplist with Mood Rings

Mood Rings hail from Georgia, the same neck of the woods as Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox. He’s a big fan of the band, and it’s easy to hear why on the group’s debut full-length, VPI Harmony. They share a dreamy, gauzy outlook, and both bands create music that envelops you in warm sound. Mood Rings don’t sound exactly like Deerhunter or anything though, it’s just a helpful point of reference that might draw you in and let you experience the remarkably good music they make. We got a short but sweet list from the band’s triple threat (singer/songwriter/guitarist) Will Fussell, but first here’s a song from the album:


Seely
This Atlanta band, active during the nineties, captures much of the aesthetic and tone of many of the artists we are seeing today.


Days of Heaven
This film was shot with obsessive passion for lighting and sound within the constraints of an exacting shooting schedule and tight budget. The director, Terrence Malick, spent three years editing the film to achieve his vision. Ennio Morricone scored this romantic epic, giving it a subtly haunting vibe.


Robert Abel and Associates
A computer animation design team responsible for several groundbreaking television commercials, music videos and films. The work they accomplished for the 1982 film Tron and the Jacksons’ 1981 music video "Can You Feel It" set a high bar for art direction and creativity in computer animation and design.


The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein
The message in this story always struck a chord. When it seems as if the goal has been reached, go further. The New York Times Book Review:"This fable can also be interpreted to mean that no one should try to find all the answers, no one should hope to fill all the holes in themselves, achieve total transcendental harmony or psychic order because a person without a search, loose ends, internal conflicts and external goals becomes too smooth to enjoy or know what's going on. Too much satisfaction blocks exchange with the outside."


Bossa Nova
A recent obsession. Wispy vocal melodies accompanied by the fluid yet aberrantly staccato guitar bring a peaceful resolve to most any moment. It's music for the standard apathetic, just as it is for the fast-paced and overly ambitious.