Roy Moller

Indie Pages:

I remember being quite fond of Roy's debut 7" a few years back, so I'm glad we finally get an album full of songs from him (including both sides of the original 7").

There are a variety of styles throughout the album, as almost all of the songs were cowritten with several other people, and there are over a dozen additional musicians helping out, including some notable names like Stevie Jackson (Belle & Sebastian) and Ulric Kennedy (Golden Dawn/Catalysts); the majority of the songs fall in a sunny pop vein, somewhere between Donovan and Belle & Sebastian, but I can hear hints of the Beach Boys and Simon And Garfunkel in places, as well.

Even with all the cooks in the kitchen, the album still comes out sounding great, with quite a few instant favorites, like "Six Degrees", "First You Fall In Love", "Maximum Smile" and "Train Your Thoughts On Love" peppered throughout. A not-so-sleepy sleeper hit!

(11/11)

Rave Magazine:

Belle & Sebastian buddy releases an album of no- nonsense near-perfect pop.

Glaswegian Roy Moller is best mates with sharp-suited Belle & Sebastian guitarist Stevie Jackson, and as the strummer appears as producer and musician on this album, you might be able to guess the sound to a certain extent. Which is no bad thing, of course.

If anything, Jackson's contribution simply polishes Moller's sturdy song framework, which here is a mix of classic pop (Six Degrees), rolling rock riffs (the title track), Dylanisms (Baby, Look No Further), 60s go-go (Teachers), and hook-filled energetic numbers that Belle & Sebastian themselves would surely sacrifice a half-dozen members to have (First You Fall In Love, Train Your Thoughts On Love). Moller's voice is a decidedly less fey instrument than Stuart Murdochís, sidestepping reservations some may have about the Scots tweesters.

Similarly, Moller shies from the overt bookishness of his contemporaries' lyrics, opting instead for sunny directness that serves his songs well. It's a delightful musical train-ride through a host of influences – without ever becoming less than Moller's own – unencumbered by expectations or unnecessary flourishes.

Plus it's being released exclusively by Brisbane-via-Manchester-based label Book Club Records (you can get the album from www.bookclubrecords.com), so it's almost local product.

Pop kids looking for something quality, but not yet flogged to death on the blogs, should get on to this now.

4/5 (Topher Healy)

One Chord To Another

Roy Moller is scottish pop singer-songwriter who has collaborated with folks like Belle & Sebastian's Stevie Jackson and apparently Belle & Sebastian's song Roy Walker was written about him.

These connections made him interesting, but that interest would have faded away soon if his own songs hadn't been good enough. Thankfully his songs are good enough and Speak When I'm Spoken To contains really good traditional pop music.

It seems to be very 60's/70's orientated pop album and for example The Kinks comes to mind a few times. As does some 70's power pop bands and even finnish Ben's Diapers in the chorus of Her Collected Poems.

Speak When I'm Spoken To is a really good collection of songs. It feels a bit inconsistant at times, but there are several great tunes. Six Degrees is a great 60's influenced track that brings to mind that chap who has a gap between his two front teeth.

If you happen to love scottish guitar pop like TFC, BMX Bandits, Speedboat, Nice Man & The Bad Boys...you will surely love the song Maximum Smile. First You Fall In Love is a great power pop track and Her Collected Poems is a really beautiful pop song. And the list of really good songs could go on and on.. Baby, Look No Further, Train Your Thoughts On Love, David Niven....

Roy Moller's solo debut is a delightful pop record. Kind of down-to-earth album that can still charm you with great arrangements. A couple of the songs might be considered only as sketches of great songs.

However that's only a minor flaw, because most of the songs show that you don't need an orchestra or big soundwalls to create hook-filled good pop record. Just skillful and talented songwriter with a perfect pop sense is usually enough and that proves to be the case with Roy Moller.

4/5

Music Slut:

The truth behind Roy Moler. Actually, not that much of a story really, except that the Belle & Sebastian track named above was written for Roy Moller, occasional collaborator with the Belles, and who has just released his own debut record, Speak When I'm spoken to on Book Club records.

But don't run off just yet, because it's nowhere near as twee as you might think. Mixing some recognisably Belleish instrumentation (expected given that Stevie Jackson has been on producing duties) with some 60s style psychedelic sitar and Beatlesesque vocals, Moller's produced some lovely little ditties. You can check out his myspace page to listen to what's in store on the album.

Pop 'n Cherries:

Scottish fellow Roy Moller has been a long-time faithful Belle and Sebastian collaborator on some of Stevie Jackson’s own-penned songs and has also appeared with The Happy Couple recently.

We met him for the first time as a solo artist with his great “Maximum Smile” 7” single on the Félicité Single Club in 2003, followed in 2005 by a very limited 8” on Heliotone and a 3 titles 7” EP called “Fermez la bouche” on beloved Pickled Egg label.

Time now for the debut full length, released in November on Aussie label Book Club Records with… Stevie Jackson as co-producer and both B&S members Stevie J. and Bob Kildea also credited as musicians.

The inspiration here is not to be found in any old or recent Scottish scene: melodies, harmonies and choruses are clearly 60s California Coast influenced, at times also reminiscent of the Kinks… while instrumentation and sounds sometimes send back to good old british psychedelic works.

Great job from a very gifted and unconventional artist!

Out On Blue Six:

Although Speak When I'm Spoken To is Roy Moller's debut solo album, he's actually something of an elder statesman of the Scottish indie scene, reflected by the fact that the album features contributions from former members of DHK and current members of Belle & Sebastian (also, the cover design is by Ron Bookless, who long-term readers may remember did some fantastic illustrations for some of my old fanzines).

Sounding a bit like a psychedelic Nick Heyward (oh alright then, an even more psychedelic Nick Heyward), with breezy sixties-influenced arrangements that fall somewhere between Kevin Ayers' Joy Of A Toy and Petula Clark's Colour My World, Speak When I'm Spoken To is worth a listen for its relentless upbeat-ness alone.

As it's also crammed full of punchy pop hooks decorated with backwards guitars and radio-friendly sitars, it sits several miles above most of the other miserable Deacon Blue-a-like dullards currently masquerading as 'indie' and getting all the plaudits, and anyone with even half a liking for Belle & Sebastian or others of similar quality are directed towards this superb album.

Metro:

One can often get the impression that everyone with a passing interest in indie and Glasgow has at some point collaborated with Belle & Sebastian, but Roy Moller certainly has something that raises him above mere connections.

This baroque popster's current record, Speak When I'm Spoken To, does indeed have B&S members helping out behind the scenes, and Moller himself has contributed to their albums - even having a song written about him. But Moller's vision is more upbeat here - a Kinksian, harmonic labour of love he's finally completed after 11 years.

And this gig sees those songs stripped back to their most intimate; tonight, it's just the Glaswegian, his guitar and his delightful songs - an insight into a remarkable 11-year journey to this point, if you like. (Ben East)

Revolver Club:
German translation

How long is it since the great single Maximum Smile appeared on Hamburg's Felicité singles Club? Definitely three years!

However, a good thing is worth the wait and now it's ready - the debut album from Roy Moller has appeared … besides it has his Glasgow buddy Stevie Jackson on further songs performed and produced in a similar fashion to the single, mixing timeless sunny 60's sounds and British guitar pop!

Pleasing stuff! (Marco Floess)

Indiepop.it
Italian translation

I love Roy Moller: his way of playing the musician, with eyes wide open and a smile for all, with the vivid curiosity of one who believes. I love his simple way of promoting a record, with a message on MySpace. And not just any old record , but his debut album, long-awaited since that debut single for Felicitè that gave a face to the protagonist of Stevie Jackson's song ("Roy Walker") on Dear Catastrophe Waitress.

Perhaps Stevie sees in Roy a version of himself before his encounter with Murdoch: a happy musician in spite of elusive success, in love with the music.

Yet I regret that this album is exactly the disc that it promised to be: beautiful and pure, a patchwork of beautiful songs and nothing more. Nothing more? In the sense that, although released some months ago, few have noticed that Speak When I'm Spoken To is a perfect portrait of Roy Moller: a hymn to life and curiosity, an album alive and quivering with joy, that proclaims introspection delivering the pure spirit of the 60s that banishes the common sense, the problems, the disappointments of adult life.

And therefore Speak… is not a album in the style of Belle & Sebastian, but is rich with 60s elegance filtered by the rose coloured spectacles of spring: from the British 60s pop Roy takes the lighter psychedelia, some bits of The Kinks,Tthe Beatles and The Zombies, because he knows that certain emotions don’t have a sell-by date; and in spite of the heavyweight group of friends rushing to help out - from Belle & Sebastian's Jackson and Bob Kildea through to Zac Ware of The Proclaimers - Roy’s album is the product of a knight of romantic pop, a residue of the lonely optimism found in the intense works of Emitt Rhodes at the beginning of the seventies.

And therefore, with guitars and keyboards, a harmonica and many harmonies, Roy constructs songs that turn on rhythmic patterns in constant rotation, that cite Dylan ("Baby, Look No Furthe", "Great Wall Of China") and the Merry-Go-Round's American version of Merseybeat (the excellent "First You Fall In Love") with an adult touch , right up to the remastered "Maximum Smile", even more splendid than we remembered it, woven from a base of oriental fabric and with that chorus - "Once in a while, Maximum Smile" - that explodes right on time like the spring. And at the end, when Mr Moller comes to wish us all goodnight , ("Goodnight Everyone"), his is the sweetest of all goodbyes.

Rose On A Thorn Interview:

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