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Coffee Project - Moved On

Moved On

Coffee Project are a duo comprised of Less Than Jake trombonist Buddy Schaub and Rehasher's Jake Crown playing stripped-down, enthusiastic acoustic songs with a slight pop-punk flavor and some punchy brass assistance. Moved On is where they make their full-length debut, and it's unfortunately sort of middling throughout.

There's no denying the natural-sounding chemistry between Schaub and Crown, or the bubbliness they manage to exude at nearly every turn. They have their more melancholic lyrical moments too, as both members seem to try and cathartically exorcise the demons of relationships past. But the album just drags along without many hooks or truly enticing emotional climaxes.

One of the rare times they churn out a catchy number ("Oh Sweet Pickle"), overreaching vocals end up making the track sound like a parody SNL repertory player Will Forte might do on Weekend Update. Otherwise, there are some clearer-headed, cleaner delivered numbers reminiscent of Defiance, Ohio that come off a little less grating ("The Adventures Of Pickle," "The Everlasting Trip").

As hard as it is to slag on these guys doing pretty honest and straightforward songs, Moved On is fairly forgettable. Listeners might find themselves reaching for the milk and sugar all too often.

Paper + Plastick http://www.paperandplastick.com

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