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And the Band Played Satin Doll on CD

Before Linnea Weiss (Mates of State, the Glaciers, the Mendoza Line, The Secret Ink, Edison Woods, Elk City, Fabu, The Boys Star Library) became one of indie rock's favorite cellists, she devoted three years to singer-songwriter John Moye's much loved, but little known, New York-based indie folk-pop group Moye. Moye, consisting of namesake John Moye on piano and vocals, Ben Haber on guitar and vocals, Whit Lanier on bass, Matt Katz on drums, and Ms. Weiss on cello, spent three years making lovely piano-and-cello-driven indie pop albums and building a small, but devoted following at their live shows on the East Coast. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution described their songs as 'quietly timeless gemlike wonders' at once reminiscent of Cat Stevens and Summer-Teeth-era Wilco-and the Village Voice in 2002 called them 'one of NYC's best kept secrets.' And then, in the summer of 2003, it all came to a premature halt. The group disbanded, it's members scattering around the country and it's live shows ceasing. While individual members such as Weiss and Katz would continue playing with indie rock bands around NYC in the years that followed-the former recording and touring with indie pop outfit Mates of State-the band known as 'Moye' ceased to exist. Weeks before that breakup occurred, the band convened in a recording studio to record two of their best tracks, 'And the Band Played Satin Doll,' and it's frequent counterpart at the band's live shows, 'Close Your Eyes.' Recorded over a series of days in 2003, the band's 'Satin Doll EP' never saw the light of day-- until now. The title track, 'Satin Doll,' is a nine-plus-minute wurlitzer and cello-tinged epic, one that, guided by the hypnotic pulse of Katz's backbeat, builds from a quiet Dylan-esque confessional to an Arcade Fire-style explosion. The 'B-side,' 'Close Your Eyes,' is a rocker, redolent of the Who and Lanois-style U2, propelled by Lanier's steady bass line and Haber's churning guitar. Years after they were recorded, and prompted by a repeated demand from the band's fans, Moye is finally releasing it's 'Satin Doll EP.' As the old adage goes, better late than never.