Moon Duo
Shadow of the Sun (Sacred Bones Records)
On their third LP, San Francisco’s Moon Duo (led by Wooden Shjips Ripley Johnson) ride their psychedelic soundwave to more solid ground.
The band were said to have written Shadow of the Sun in an “evolving phase”, AKA, when they were not on tour. This is not apparent in the music, as there is an undertow of motion and drive in each and every song, perhaps thanks to the new addition of Canadian drummer John Jeffrey (Yukon Blonde, High Ends).
“Wilding” opens the record with a Suicide-meets-The Velvet Underground hammering organ beat, while Ripley whispers his way into a tambourine heavy chorus.
“In A Cloud”, one of the albums mellowest moments, takes us into a hazy drift of golden guitar tones and meditative beat, met with the Duo’s signature soft-cool vocal delivery.
While most of their work has dwelled in the subterranean kraut-like terrain of drone and far-out grooves, Shadow Of The Sun elevates them into a brighter territory. In a press release, the music is described as a “paradoxically sane sound of confusion”, ironically, it may be their most coherent to date.
Rating: ★★★★
