Mission Possible: MOMS Prepares to Launch its Debut Album

1 band, 1 month, 15,000 dollars. This is what it’s going to take for Princeton’s favorite orchestral alumni band, Miracles of Modern Science, to finally release their long-awaited debut full-length album. But as daunting as the figures seem, it takes no stretch of the imagination or even miracle to succeed in this endeavor.

In a world of Bittorrent, iTunes, and social networking, artists around the world are finding that spending months haggling with record labels and producers is a hassle, but it’s also unnecessary. This is where online crowd-fundraising services like Kickstarter come in. As indie rock musicians on the frontier of digital space, the members of MOMS are launching themselves on a new mission. Rather than put themselves at the mercy of traditional procedures, they have turned to fans to help them cover costs of mixing, mastering, pressing, packaging, distributing and promoting their album.

So far, the response on their Kickstarter site has been very positive. At $7,711 dollars and 143 backers, MOMS are already halfway to their goal, with an impressive 21 days left before the project ends.

“We’re hoping the Princeton community and alumni network will catch on and help us hit our target,” said Evan Younger ’08, MOMS’ lead vocalist and double bassist.

In fact, MOMS’ frequent concerts on campus means that their album is to many students both familiar and all the more exciting to look forward to. Part of the recording even took place in Terrace Club over spring break, where the vacancy allowed a good opportunity to record drums.

The 11 track album itself is a culmination of six months of recording and six years of writing and performing. But according to Younger, it’s been worth the wait:

“We’re really, really proud of how it’s sounding. This is the first time we feel that a recording really does justice to our live energy. Spaceman Sound did a fantastic job of capturing the natural sounds of the string instruments, drums, and vocals, so when you listen back it feels like the band is playing in the room with you.”

Before December 9^th, you can go check out their Kickstarter and watch their informational video at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/moms/miracles-of-modern-science-release-their-debut-alb Contributions can range anywhere from $1 to over $3000, but if the $15,000 mark is not reached by the deadline the project will not be funded at all. Check it out! With Kickstarter, students and fans alike are given the opportunity to participate not only in the future of the band, but also the future of the music industry.

-Lisa Han '13