Moor Jewelry Return with Punk/Hardcore-indebted True North Full-length & Bob Sweeney-directed "Look Alive" (Don Giovanni Records)

Moor Jewelry (CREDIT: Bob Sweeney)

Moor Jewelry—sometimes, known as "Moor X Jewelry"—is a collaborative Philly-based project consisting of Camae Anywa (Moor Mother) and Steve Montenegro (Mental Jewelry.) Don Giovanni Records released Moor X Jewelry's debut collaborative EP, Crime Waves, back in June 2017 to both widespread critical and fan acclaim. Prior to Crime Waves, two early Mental Jewelry tracks, actually, appeared on Moor Mother's 2017 album, The Motionless Present, released on UK-based The Vinyl Factory; one of those formative tracks, "Big Crime," would end up re-appearing on Crime Waves and the other, "Remember," remains a Motionless Present-only exclusive. Moor Mother has since shared a solo album, Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes (2019) on Don Giovanni, as well as six appearances across Zonal's 12-track 2019 Relapse Records album, Wrecked. Together, Moor Mother x Zonal, additionally, released non-album cut "On The Range" as part of [adult swim]'s 2019 singles series. Additionally, Mental Jewelry produced three tracks included within Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes. Earlier this year, Camae Anywa's other other band, Irreversible Entanglements, essentially, a Neo-Jazz quintet, released Who Sent You? on International Anthem Recording Company/Don Giovanni Records. It appears as though, Mental Jewelry has remained largely inactive since Crime Waves' release.


Last week, with no prior announcement, Moor Mother & Mental Jewelry, seemingly, returned out of nowhere with their second proper collaboration. Again, released in conjunction with Kingston, New Jersey-based Don Giovanni Records, Moor Jewelry's True Opera was issued digitally, as well as on now-sold out limited edition cassette. However, in stark contrast to its predecessor, True Opera is a noticeably more Punk/Hardcore-leaning than Crime Waves, which was, admittedly, more Electronic/Experimental-based. True Opera's contained tracks were largely more improvised in the recording studio during two marathon sessions with Mental Jewelry playing drums/bass and Moor Mother providing guitar/vocals, who were later joined by drummer Philip Price (Kayo Dot.) "We grew up going to Punk shows and playing in Punk bands," Steve Montenegro explained to Don Giovanni. "We missed the energy of playing instruments live together. On a computer, everything is accounted for. This has all of the imperfections and flubs—it's more of a direct conduit," Montenegro continued. "I think—at least for me, for people my age—there was a shift away from Punk Rock. At a certain point, you started getting into other music. Now, I'm like, "Crass was right about everything.'" Moor Jewelry's True Opera is now available from Don Giovanni Records, as well as Bandcamp. Bandcamp will, again, be waiving their cut of sales in support of Indie artists/labels for 24 HOURS this upcoming Friday, May 1, 2020.