Moore out of doors

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Little quirks are part of what makes R. Stevie Moore sound so good on tape. Rich analog warbles and the hissy pop of a spinning reel-to-reel helped define his music. Somehow the fuzzy tenor of that era carried over to the present, and can still be heard on his contemporary straight-to-digital releases. Intricacies and melodic genius notwithstanding, his songs sound sculpted, not designed. Perfect enough.

Hiccups and bug-outs that befell him at the Echoplex on Sunday were different. On the road, R. Stevie Moore walks a funny line between otherworldly creative import and his flesh-and-blood status as an aging wonk in ridiculous pants. And the beautiful parts prevail, and his work works all the more for it.