Willy Moon, "Here's Willy Moon" (Cherry Tree/Island)
Willy Moon will soon be gyrating his way into your music collection. Fact.
His distinct features, tall frame, fancy footwork, dapper suits and infectious 1960s pop grooves make this New Zealander hard to miss. The 23-year-old's self-produced debut album, "Here's Willy Moon," is sharp and slick, much like Moon himself.
His album packs a punch, from his unique tone and string section on "Get Up" to surf guitars on "I Wanna Be Your Man." This is high energy rock 'n' roll with a modern twist.
The real star here is the pop friendly "Yeah Yeah," which was used in ads for the iPod last year. If you're still sitting down after hearing this one, you need to see a doctor.
There's also the hip-hop-inspired "She Loves Me," and the David Lynch-esque "Murder Ballad" closes the show. At just under 30 minutes long, you'll want to savor each beat on this energetic debut.
tyleq?n-H?c 8 pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>"Look at that article that says my subject matter is wrong, saying I hate gays even though Frank is on 10 of my songs," he raps, noting his Odd Future band mate is Frank Ocean, who revealed last year that his first love was a man. But that still doesn't stop him from dropping gay slurs, in that song and others.
He and Ocean team up twice on "Wolf," and they're a good pair, particularly on the smooth "Slater," as Tyler raps about having fun on his bike. Another good listen is "Treehome95," featuring Quadron's Coco O. and Erykah Badu.
In the end, Tyler shows that he is a talented lyricist on an album that is well-produced and can be very entertaining — that is, if you don't mind the vitriol that accompanies it.