Moonface - Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped (Jagjaguwar)
3/5
By: Stephen Maughan
With Wolf Parade taking a break, the acclaimed double act of Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner have the opportunity to refine their other projects. Boeckner has helped his wife out in Handsome Furs, and Krug focused more on a very decent band he’d put together, Sunset Rubdown. Handsome Furs and Sunset Rubdown both put out good recent records that, although not setting the music world on fire, contained elements of greatness. But I couldn’t help thinking that what was missing was the other Wolf Parade member.
Spencer Krug's latest release gets rid of the baggage of being a member of one of the most important rock bands of the last decade. Namely, it get rids of all band members, and Krug himself writing the almost apologetic press release claiming “Moonface will probably never sound like Wolf Parade or Sunset Rubdown...The results might end up being just as random as the ideas, but hopefully they will be worth the effort nonetheless.” This is a world away from the gimmicks of modern music where managers invent a story “behind” their latest album (you know, like recording an album over a camp fire in the wilderness with a broken heart and a bottle of whiskey). Usually the record isn’t half as good as the story behind it. Instead Krug writes that he likes Organ Music, “hopes you feel the same way too” and compares it to eating a piece of cheesecake. It doesn't exactly make you shiver with excitement to hear it.
So, what of the music itself? It's quirky, electric, loose, and has a lot of playful video game sounds (think Super Nintendo). Meanwhile Krug's lyrics - often the highlight of his work - sound like the scribbled notes of a beat poet on a low day. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as I'm sure many writers would love to be compared to someone like Allen Ginsberg, but as Krug insists Moonface will never sound like his other bands, and by his own admission won't be as popular, the whole things can feel a bit... throwaway. Lyrically it does have some strong moments (particularly in 'Whale Song'), but it feels a world apart from the intimacy and poetic beauty of something like Sunset Rubdown's Dragonslayer.
What's left is a short of album of five songs, where each track blends into the other without anything particularly standing out to grab your attention. Anyone who has followed the already lengthy musical career of 34 year old Krug will no doubt enjoy this, as though not exactly an the same league, it has his plenty to enjoy about it. It's nice... One of the rules of my over-strict Year 4 English teacher had was that we were never to use the word “nice” in a sentence. I'm sorry, Mrs Griggs, but no other word exists to define Organ Music. It's not great, it's not terrible, it's just... a nice record.
Moonface - Fast Peter by daftdreamy
Artists in this article: Moonface, Sunset Rubdown
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment