Cosmic country outfit the Moondoggies (it hurts to type that name) held forth at the High Dive last night, proving they’re one of Seattle’s brightest up-and-coming bands. The four-piece plays a wanderlusty brand of blues boogie, with three-part vocals and spacy, churchy soul courtesty of a roaring Rhodes organ. Snatches of the Flying Burrito Brothers, the Byrds, the Band, Drive-by Truckers, and a wee bit o’ the Beta Band all floated through their songs, which piled hook on top of hook on top of hook. They built memorable numbers around the most elemental lyrics: “I don’t wanna change,” “woke up this morning feelin’ fine,” “I been thinking about you night and day.” The eyes-closed seriousness behind their seemingly simple tunes spoke of the craftmanship put into them.

The young quartet’s ambition, however, exceeds its experience; achieving the blasted, burnt-out soul of Gram Parsons at only 21 years old requires serious dedication. Give these guys a mescaline-fueled adventure in the woods (or two) and wait for them to come down from the mountain. The ragged glory they’ll accrue over time (and a few benders) will loosen up their stage presence and deepen the music’s impact. We would never recommend psychedelic drug use to anyone, but… Wait, yes we would.

Til then, there are several terrific songs on their MySpace page.