Moon Duo – Shadow of the Sun

unnamedRating: ★★★½☆

Trying to nail down the sound of San Francisco’s Moon Duo is a bit more difficult than slapping on the label of hazey rock, as these two (three, counting live drummer John Jeffrey) turn that genre inside out. The drone/noise guitar becomes the substance itself and everything else works like kindling to fuel this grungey fire. Shadow of the Sun sees this band creating music that primarily dwells under this haze, occasionally surfacing for lighter and poppier tunes.

They begin with the darkness of “Wilding,” which is pretty much a straightforward gritty guitars blazing rock song. This song is a rambunctious and raw start to the album, as the band starts you out with the shadowy rock before they tone it down from this grit to the more refined “Night Beat.” The band takes the haze of noise with their guitar, reverb coated vocals, and adds a quirky and somewhat spooky synth part to it. Here is the trend that takes hold over the music here; it feels eerie and haunting but with enough dance hooks and jangly percussion to drive it to genre of synth pop. The same can be said with “Zero,” but this song blends the two genres seamlessly into one slow simmering tune.

Later “Slow Down Low, makes for one of the brighter, lighter tunes on the album. The use of airy synths, handclaps and gang vocals make this song a surefire hit, still incorporating those drone-guitars, but they’re balanced out with the clean clarity of the synthesizer. This is one of the best songs, and the guitars take over at its end to provide that revival of darkness before you move on to “Ice.” Nearing the end of the nine songs that Moon Duo has crafted, “Ice,” feels more like a continuation of the previous song, a groovy outro of sorts to tone down the sound before the last song.

                  Shadow of the Sun is a surprisingly fun album; for all the dark and swirling pieces of the music, there are a decent amount of tunes that have a dance-able quality to them. The brooding nature of Moon Duo’s hazey guitar rock sound is always there, but within that space they’ve made songs that work to get you moving a bit beyond just nodding your head. That being said, this album’s novelty wears off a little bit after you’ve put the record down. I’ll be back to revisit my favorite tracks for sure, but on the whole it doesn’t push from good to great.

 

SXSW 2015 Interview: Moon Duo

moon duo bannerMoon Duo is prepping the release of their new album, Shadow of the Sun, and with that, they’ll also be coming into Austin to show off their new jams…based on this interview, you might get to hear them all. I highly suggest you check these guys out; I’ve been impressed both times I’ve seen them.  They craft their shows specifically to fit their music, so you’re getting an experience, more than just a good old fashioned rock show. Check out what they had to say below.  Read more

Watch This Moon Duo Video

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Skateboard fans get excited because this Moon Duo video for the track, “Animal,” features Richie Jackson, of legendary skateboard fame doing rad tricks on various items all while walking to the beat of this jam. Now, we already brought you this song a little while ago, but in case you missed it, it’s the first single off Moon Duo‘s new album, Shadow Of The Sun, that’s slated to come out on March 3rd. They’ve also announced that they’re embarking on a North American/European tour and while there’s no Austin spot on there, check and see if they’re playing in your neck of the woods.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/gFhKRt5g7LU[/youtube]

Moon Duo Return with New Album

moonsAs we continue our look towards 2015, there’s one thing that’s for sure, this Moon Duo LP is going to be a hot commodity.  The song has a brooding tone, though it’s driven by a more forceful approach to songwriting than what we’ve heard from the group before.  Perhaps the only thing holding the track back is its brevity; I felt like there was at least 30 more seconds of rock to go.  This tune will appear on Side A of a 7″ that’s being slid into every copy of Shadow of the Sun, which will be in stores on March 3rd courtesy of Sacred Bones Records.

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Another Listen to New Cult of Youth

cultThe last track I heard from Cult of Youth saw the band exploring some new territory, but their latest single has them revisiting their own hallowed ground.  This song opens with a strummed guitar ringing, as if they’re creating this huge pop sphere that’s waiting to explode. However, Sean Ragon’s darkened vocal touch takes away from that world, offering a more balance approach.  For me, I’m stuck on the lyrics and the emotional appeal of the musical construction, so I’ll be picking up the band’s new effort, Final Days, when its released by Sacred Bones on November 11th.

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Dream Police Bring on Hypnotized

dreamtheaterIt would make sense that the founding members of the Men are going to gain interest with their new project, Dream Police.  After all, the Men have had a pretty solid run, though there founders are stepping away a bit from the sound we’ve seen them offer up over the last few years.  The guitar work isn’t too far off, though there’s more of an 80s snarl to the vocals.  That makes sense though, as DP have a bit of darkened nostalgia swirling around their new project.  I’m not in love just yet, but we’ll see what happens when Hypnotized hits the streets on November 14th via Sacred Bones.

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Austin Spotlight: Institute Sign to Sacred Bones

institootSeems like Austin has had a pretty good year, musically speaking.  Bands from all corners are getting a lot of much deserved recognition for their work, and I’m really impressed with this new tune that’s been hopping around by Institute.  The act features members of a lot of local acts you should be familiar with like Wiccans or Glue, though this new entity seems pretty impressive.  They’ve signed on with the great Sacred Bones Records to release their Salt EP, and since I didn’t get around to it earlier, I’m getting you amped now.  The rhythm section owns this song for sure.  Pick up the EP on October 14th.

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Welcome Return from Cult of Youth

cultishYes, it’s a welcome return, in my eyes, for Cult of Youth, but don’t expect the band to sound precisely like you remember.  They always had a macabre sound, which perhaps resonated more from singer Sean Ragon’s voice, but this time around, they’ve delved completely into it, crafting this hypnotic tune.  It’s closer to a post-rock piece than the band’s folk work before, but perhaps that’s because Ragon has finally found the group he always dreamed he’d have, and there’s more of a full band feel to this song.  We’ll see which way the wind blows when Final Days is released on November 11th via Sacred Bones Records.

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Synth Pop from Lust for Youth

lustyAdmittedly, the last few years I’ve always let B.Gray cover our electronically induced pop music.  But, that being said, bands like Black Marble, TRUST and now Lust for Youth have really begun to sway my opinion.  This new single from the latter is the perfect example of why I’ve begun to make that switch; it’s hard for anyone to listen to this track and not get excited about the band’s up-coming record.  There’s not too much dabbling in oddities, instead just a straight-forward presentation of good old synth pop.  You can expect more like-minded songs when the band releases International via Sacred Bones on June 10th (that’s one busy release day!).

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/06-Armida.mp3]

 

Amen Dunes – Love

tittiesRating: ★★★☆☆

On their second album for Sacred Bones Records, a lot has been made about Amen Dunes employing various musicians to come in and help put the finishing touches on Love.  In the end, all of that’s rather irrelevant, as the core of the songs are what standout the most.  There’s a clarity to the songwriting, moving the band in more of a dark folk direction than they’ve employed before.

“White Child” begins the record, and for five minutes immediately establishes the tone of the record.  There’s a dark stomp on the drum, while a slight haze coats the vocal.  And speaking of that vocal, there’s a nice stretch where the vocal is pushed to a rasp, again indicating a more folk appeal that survives on Love.  And, it’s followed by one of my favorite tracks of the year, “Lonely Richard.”  Taken in bits and pieces, this song might be grating to some, with it’s scratching string arrangements, seemingly placed sloppily atop the steady drumbeat and guitar parts.  But, when used in unison, there’s this intoxicating effect that makes it hard to pull yourself away from the number; I love the chorus too.  While I enjoy both tracks, they do wear you out almost immediately, collectively pushing over ten minutes on two tracks, then moving into the shorter numbers.

Still, can Amen Dunes pack the same punch in a short span, as tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9 all fall in under 4 minutes, with some far shorter.  “Lilac in Hand” is a perfect example of how the band can accomplish all their goals in a short moment.  The piano often seems to work in contradiction to the light percussion and guitar chords, at least in tonal quality, but it’s that union once again that enables the listener to find themselves lost within the track.  Similarly, the piano ballad, “Green Eyes,” is beautiful in its simplicity and immediacy.  There’s two vocals parts here, one in a much deeper tone, giving a very solemn haunting to the track, as if that hollow sounding piano weren’t enough. But, just as you’re accustomed to the sadder side of the band, they throw a curveball, “I Can Dig It.”  This song has a shuddering guitar chord and a rise and fall to it, but mostly it’s the spirit of the track that makes it stand out on the album; it’s the most energetic tune on the record, even when they burst off into harmonies while the guitar fades slightly into the background.  For me, it was a nice touch after a sadder number, and it had me wishing there were perhaps one or two more tracks of this sort lurking throughout the album.

Going through Love track by track wore me down a bit, honestly, but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the quality of the songs.  I got lost a few times in the slow pace, which is why I enjoyed the placement of “I Can Dig It” so much.  But, when you’ve got time to submit yourself to the will of carefully crafted songs, give yourself a chance to thoroughly enjoy this new LP from Amen Dunes.

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